Uefa chief Michel Platini has failed so far to give a “credible explanation” for a US$2million (Dh7.3m) payment from Fifa, the head of Germany’s football league said in an interview published on Thursday.
“Michel Platini needs to give an open and credible explanation to football fans on what it was about – and I stress: credible,” Reinhard Rauball told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Platini was dragged into a widening scandal at Fifa when Swiss prosecutors opened a probe last week against Fifa chief Sepp Blatter. Part of the investigation was focused on the sum of money Blatter paid to the Frenchman in 2011, apparently for consulting work done between 1998 and 2002.
Switzerland’s attorney general, Michael Lauber, has said there is evidence that the payment was “disloyal” to Fifa’s interests.
Platini, 60, has since claimed that he was paid the sum only a decade after the consulting work was done because of financial constraints at Fifa in 1998-2002. The state of the world body’s finances for the period are unclear, however.
Rauball said Platini had told Uefa members in a letter that he could not comment on the investigation, a point that the German football chief said he did not appreciate.
“As a private individual in his private, civilian sphere, he can, of course, do so if he feels that he needs to protect himself,” Rauball said.
But given that Platini is putting himself forward as a candidate for the Fifa chief job, he needs to adhere to “higher standards”.
“What Platini has revealed to us so far is simply not enough,” said Rauball, himself a lawyer.
Fifa’s worst crisis began in May when US prosecutors charged 14 football officials and sports business executives over involvement in more than $150 million of bribes.
Amid the corruption storm, Blatter announced on June 4 that he would stand down, with a special election to be held in February.
Platini had been the favourite to win that vote, but the current investigation could harm his candidacy.
Rauball also believes Blatter should leave his post now and not in February.
“I can imagine that if he stays until February he might get the idea to say: ‘Well, if no other candidate is there then I will stay on’,” he said.
“It’s about time to consider a plan B. The US justice department has classified Fifa as influenced by organised crime and corruption.”
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