SAINT-ETIENNE: Former UEFA president Michel Platini has returned to a soccer stadium for the first time since being handed a four-year suspension in 2016.

The France great watched from the stands as Saint-Etienne was knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United on Wednesday.

Platini, who played for Saint-Etienne from 1979-82, is suspended from football-related activities for conflict of interest over a $2 million payment he received in 2011 from FIFA.

Platini did not go to any Euro 2016 games in his native France last summer despite the FIFA ethics committee saying he could attend matches.

Manchester United won the return leg 1-0 and advanced to the last 16 with a 4-0 win on aggregate.