FIFA President Infantino Faces Fresh Criminal Complaint From Former Boss Platini

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has come under renewed legal scrutiny after former UEFA president and French football legend Michel Platini filed a fresh criminal complaint in France, alleging a conspiracy that prevented him from becoming FIFA president a decade ago.

According to Platini's representatives, lawyers have been instructed to file a criminal complaint in Paris against Infantino and five other Swiss football and judicial officials. The complaint alleges false accusation, influence peddling and conspiracy , claiming that actions were taken to damage Platini's reputation and derail his bid to lead world football's governing body.

Platini's legal team is also preparing a civil lawsuit seeking damages from FIFA . The allegations are not entirely new, having previously been raised before Swiss authorities in 2022, but the latest filing shifts the legal battle to the French judicial system.

The dispute has its roots in the turmoil that engulfed FIFA in 2015. At the time, Platini was widely regarded as the favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president after corruption investigations by U.S. authorities shook the organisation. However, Platini's ambitions suffered a major setback when Swiss prosecutors launched an investigation into a 2 million Swiss franc payment made to him by FIFA under Blatter's leadership.

The investigation led to the suspension of both Platini and Blatter from football administration, effectively ending Platini's chances of securing FIFA's top job. In the aftermath, Infantino, who was serving as UEFA's general secretary under Platini, emerged as a surprise candidate and won the FIFA presidential election in 2016.

Despite the allegations, both Platini and Blatter maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings. They were acquitted of fraud charges twice, first in a Swiss court in 2022 and again on appeal in 2025.

The latest complaint also names former Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber and former FIFA legal director Marco Villiger among those accused.

The development comes just days before Infantino is set to open a major FIFA tournament in North America. FIFA had not issued an immediate response to the fresh legal action at the time of reporting.