As part of the investigation into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, former UEFA president Michel Platini was questioned this morning—and is reportedly in custody—at the Nanterre judicial police's anti-corruption office, according to several French media. Among those detained is former Elysée Palace secretary general Claude Guéant. Back in January 2013, a dossier by "France Football" dubbed "Qatargate" highlighted France's role in awarding the event. The story, published by Mediapart, was subsequently reported by Le Monde and L'Equipe. Former Elysée Palace secretary general Claude Guéant is also being questioned under the status of "suspect at large." The National Financial Prosecutor's Office is investigating "alleged acts of active and passive corruption of persons not holding public office," Le Monde stated. A former advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, Sophie Dion, was also arrested as part of this investigation. Platini, who had already indicated that he had given his vote to Qatar on 2 December 2010 for the organisation of the 2022 World Cup, had been heard as a witness in the context of this investigation in December 2017. He had been asked in particular about a lunch organised at the Elysée on 23 November 2010, which he had attended together with the then President Sarkozy, the Crown Prince of Qatar (Tamin Ben Hamad al Thani) and Claude Gueant (at the time Secretary General of the Elysée). Platini had admitted to the investigators that during this context he had perceived a "subliminal message" inviting him to vote for Qatar for the organisation of the 2022 World Cup while previously his orientation was towards the United States, clarifying however that Sarkozy had not "imposed anything" on him. "I also wanted the World Cup to be organised in a country and in a part of the world that had never hosted it. I "I have always acted transparently, calling Sepp Blatter (then FIFA president) immediately after lunch to inform him of the presence of the Prince and Prime Minister of Qatar at the Elysée Palace, and later revealing to the press my vote for Qatar," he justified himself. Sentenced to a four-year suspension by FIFA and then cleared by Swiss courts in the matter of the allegedly "undue" payment of 2 million Swiss francs (1,8 million euros) that Blatter had paid him in 2011, the former number 10 of the French national team and Juventus had announced in early June the launch of legal proceedings against "all those who fomented a conspiracy to prevent me from becoming FIFA president." Since its suspension expires in October 2019, Platini had prevented him from running in the last FIFA presidential elections, won on June 5 by Gianni Infantino, former UEFA general secretary and current president.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Choose the social channel you want to subscribe to