Paris, December 22

Michel Platini called FIFA’s eight year ban a “kick in the teeth” but vowed in an interview with AFP on Tuesday to fight on for the presidency of world football’s governing body.

The FIFA vice president and UEFA leader condemned the ethics committee that banned him on Monday but said he would “fight to clear my name.” Platini’s ban from all football activities prevents him from standing in the February 26 election to find a replacement for FIFA president Sepp Blatter and working at UEFA president.

Blatter and Platini were suspended for eight years over a 2 million Swiss franc payment made to Platini in 2011 for work carried out between 1999 and 2002. Platini is determined to plough on in his quest to become the most powerful man in football. “I will fight. But then I’ll take my responsibilities according to what happens,” he told AFP in the exclusive interview.

Platini insisted there was nothing illegal in the oral contract he said was agreed with Blatter. The salary agreement was however never disclosed in FIFA documentation until the payment was made in 2011. “I’m struggling to understand. Why? How did we get to this? I did some work, I asked to be paid, I sent an invoice, I was paid, I paid my taxes on that. That was in 2011,” he said.

“There was a debt that was settled, full stop! Then, in 2015, the Swiss court wanted more information. Then it took off at FIFA and a lot of people at FIFA are happy that this issue happened,” he added. “And here I am, suspended from all football-related activity for eight years.”

Platini repeated his suspicions that the timing of the ban was a deliberate attempt to prevent him from standing in February’s election. “What was the FIFA ethics committee doing between 2011 when I was paid and 2015? Was it sleeping? Suddenly it wakes up,” he scoffed. “Ah yes, it wakes up in election year when I’m a candidate. It’s amazing!”