FIFA: Platini believes Infantino "must leave" because he did not "respect the rules" of football

Former French football legend and ex-UEFA president Michel Platini said on Canal+ on Sunday that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino "must go" because he has not "respected the rules" of football.

"Economic matters are one thing, but I think Infantino failed because he is the guarantor of the rules of the game and he didn't respect them. The advertising breaks (the systematic refreshment breaks during the 2026 World Cup, ed.) are not in the regulations, the 30-minute halftime of the final is not in the regulations, and the red card is the worst. He is the guarantor (of the rules, ed.), he doesn't respect them, he must go," said the three-time Ballon d'Or winner, alluding to the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun, which was overturned during the World Cup after an intervention by Donald Trump.

Since the end of the tournament held this summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the FIFA president has been under immense pressure following the revelation of his failed plan to open the World Cup to private investors. UEFA, allied with the North American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) and Asian (AFC) football confederations, is leading the charge to try to oust the head of the world governing body, who has been in office since 2016 and is a candidate for re-election at the congress scheduled for March 2027 in Morocco.

- Complaint for "unfair management" -

The European Confederation is thus preparing a complaint under Swiss law against Gianni Infantino for "disloyal management" while looking for a candidate to oppose the Italian-Swiss leader in 2027.

"This will not be resolved and he will not fall through the sporting authorities. I think that if UEFA wants to bring Infantino down, it will be through the courts," said Michel Platini.

"I always knew that he loved money and power," also stated the former No. 10 and captain of the French team, who was promised the presidency of FIFA before being sidelined from the race due to fraud allegations that resulted in a final acquittal in Switzerland in August 2025.

The removal of the UEFA president (2007-2015) had then paved the way for the unexpected election in February 2016 of its general secretary, Gianni Infantino.

"He didn't bring me down, he took advantage of it. But now that there are many investigations being carried out on him around the world, there are rumors circulating that he was aware of certain things. To be continued," explained Michel Platini, who filed a complaint in June against Gianni Infantino for "false accusation" and "influence peddling."

"I did it in France because in Switzerland, I don't have much of a chance of winning," he said with a smile.