Explained: The charges leveled against former UEFA President Michel Platini

The former France international has since been released from custody.

The former UEFA President, Michel Platini was detained on Tuesday 18th June 2019, as part of an investigation into the claims that corruption was involved in FIFA’s decision to award Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup. The reports of the Frenchman’s arrest have been confirmed by various sources in France. Claude Gueant, the former secretary general of the Elysee Palace is also under interrogation as a free suspect.

The investigation into the 2022 World Cup decision was opened by France’s Parquet National Financier, an organization that deals with issues of financial crime. The PNF is investigating the possibility of 'Private Corruption,' 'criminal conspiracy' and 'influence peddling and trading in influence,' that may have taken place during the December 2010 vote.

Representatives of the Frenchman were adamant that Platini had not been arrested but merely detained in an attempt to keep the going on of the interview confidential. The investigation also reportedly included the questioning of Platini over the reward of the 2016 UEFA European Championship to France by a single vote over which Platini is said to be certain that he is not in the wrong.

The crux of the investigation is a lunch that Platini has publicly admitted to having with the former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy and the current Emir of Qatar, Tamim al-Thani on 23rd November 2010, just a few weeks before the vote for the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup was to take place.

At the time, France was looking to make economic links with Qatar, who not long after, invested in Paris Saint Germain. Platini admitted to the fact that Sarkozy wanted him to vote for Qatar but vehemently denied that he was influenced.

In 2013, the Frenchman was quoted by The Guardian as saying, “I knew Sarkozy wanted the people from Qatar to buy PSG. I understood that Sarkozy supported the candidature of Qatar. But he never asked me, or to vote for Russia [for 2018]. He knows my personality. I always vote for what is good for football. Not for myself, not for France.”

Former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter has since come out and said that he was told by Platini that he changed his vote from USA to Qatar following the lunch. In 2015, Platini admitted that he “might have told” the football delegates from the US that he would vote for their bid while he was in the running to replace Blatter as president.

Platini insists that his decision was not swayed by the lunch with the Emir of Qatar. However, in the years that followed, Platini’s son, Laurent joined Qatari sportswear brand, Burrda, which is under the Qatar Sports Company or QSI, as they are commonly referred to, as the CEO. Platini has denied that this was due to his vote going in favour of Qatar.

Michael Platini released from custody in the early hours of the morning after being questioned about 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Euro 2016, Uefa, Fifa and PSGHe seemed in good spirits...https://t.co/QpqrlCZPNP pic.twitter.com/JMzQGVvFzv

— Jack de Menezes (@JackdeMenezes) June 19, 2019

#UPDATE Banned ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini is released from custody after hours of questioning in connection with a criminal investigation into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatarhttps://t.co/HOwvIFS89A pic.twitter.com/lhXQvLpfs1

— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 19, 2019

Following Qatar’s victory of the 2022 vote, QSI made massive investments in PSG, which happens to be the club that Sarkozy supports, allowing them to flex their financial power to a massive extent in the transfer market. A perfect example of this would be the transfer of Neymar to the French giants.

While the £222m buyout clause that Neymar had on his contract was sure to put the club in danger with respect to FIFA’s FFP rules, QSI allegedly hired Neymar as an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup, for which they paid him the exact amount he required to buy out his own contract from FC Barcelona.

Ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini is being questioned by French police over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup tournament to Qatar https://t.co/A4IxL3vxda pic.twitter.com/Sd2rjjoqCx

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) June 19, 2019

It's amazing to think that a single lunch could change the course of European football and the transfer market as a whole to such an extent. In 2015, Sarkozy distanced himself from the situation by saying that it was not in his power to influence Platini in any way.

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Both Sepp Blatter and Platini have since been banned from all football activity after it was proven that Platini accepted a payment of 2m Francs from FIFA in 2011.

Platini has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing with respect to the payment and has since mounted several legal attacks against his ban that is due to expire in October of this year.