FIFA President Gianni Infantino Faces Fresh Criminal Charges From Ex-Boss Michel Platini

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was targeted by a revived criminal complaint in France on Monday by his former boss Michel Platini, who seemed destined to lead FIFA until being implicated in a financial wrongdoing case in 2015.

French great Platini — who was acquitted again last year after a second Swiss court trial —has asked lawyers in Paris to file a criminal complaint against Infantino and five other Swiss football and prosecution officials. He alleges a conspiracy of false accusation and influence peddling to prevent him from becoming FIFA president a decade ago.

Lawyers also will file a civil lawsuit seeking damages from FIFA, a spokesman for Platini said in a statement about the allegations, which were previously made in 2022 directed at Swiss authorities.

The fresh filings were announced three days before Infantino opens a World Cup being played across North America that has let him often share a political stage with U.S. President Donald Trump.

FIFA was asked for comment about Platini’s legal complaints.

Infantino was elected FIFA leader in 2016 as a surprise candidate from European soccer body UEFA, where he was the long-time general secretary to its president Platini.

Platini was widely expected in football circles to become FIFA president and succeed his former mentor Sepp Blatter, who was leaving office in fallout from U.S. federal investigations of corruption among soccer officials that were unsealed in May 2015.

However, four months later, both Platini and Blatter were targeted in a separate Swiss investigation of a 2 million Swiss francs ($2.5 million) payment to the Frenchman that would remove both from office early.

Both Platini and Blatter were acquitted twice on charges of defrauding FIFA when they jointly stood trial in Switzerland in 2022 and again last year on appeal by the federal prosecution office.

The five men also targeted by Platini’s criminal complaint include Switzerland attorney general in 2015, Michael Lauber, and FIFA legal director at that time, Marco Villiger.