Fifa to investigate itself over presidential candidate Michel Platini 'smear dossier'

German media obtained a document that was entitled "Platini - skeleton in the closet" from Fifa

(Getty Images)

Football’s world governing body, Fifa, was embroiled in another day of accusations, name-calling and allegations yesterday when it announced it was investigating a possible smear campaign emanating from its own headquarters against Michel Platini, the front-runner to succeed Sepp Blatter as president.

A document entitled “Michel Platini: Skeletons in the Closet”, detailing well-known allegations over the Uefa chief’s links to the Qatar World Cup, was circulated to news organisations and football officials at the weekend. Data within the document shows its author as Thomas Renggli, who works in Blatter’s private office. He has admitted to having worked on the report.

The development further undermines – if that is indeed possible – the credibility of Blatter, who remains in office and claims to be committed to reforming Fifa.

Uefa’s general secretary, Gianni Infantino, lodged a formal complaint with Fifa’s secretary general, Jérôme Valcke, over the document, which it considered “a gross violation of the Fifa code of ethics, and possibly also in violation of Swiss law”.

Fifa has received a letter from Uefa regarding the said subject,” said Fifa in a statement. “Fifa is investigating the matter.”

However, it is no secret Blatter does not want Platini to win the presidential election. In an interview with Dutch magazine Volkskrant at the weekend, Blatter said there was an “anti-Fifa virus” at Nyon, Uefa’s headquarters. He said Platini, with whom he had once been “like father and son,” had tried to intimidate Blatter’s family in the days before the Fifa presidential election at the end of May.

Michel Platini (Getty images)

“I ran into my brother after lunch at the congress,” Blatter said. “I could see he had been crying, so I asked him: ‘What’s up?’ And I said: ‘Don’t be sad. I’m going to win this. I don’t know with how many votes, but I will win these elections.’ My brother didn’t say a word. It was only after the elections that I heard what had taken place. During lunch, Platini had sat down at my brother’s table and said: ‘Tell Sepp to withdraw from the election or he will go to prison’.”

Asked for his views on whether Platini could reform Fifa, Blatter said: “The new president cannot change Fifa. When I was elected in 1998, there were 34 people working at Fifa. Now there are over 400. We have contracts running until 2028. No newcomer can ever change that.

The South Korean businessman Chung Mong-joon launched his challenge for the Fifa leadership in Paris yesterday, saying Platini was “too close” to the organisation’s past to reform it. Chung is the largest shareholder in Hyundai, one of Fifa’s leading sponsors, and is thought to have reneged on a promise to vote for England to host the 2018 World Cup.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter shakes hands with Jerome Valcke (Getty Images)

He also labelled Fifa “a corrupt organisation”, much to the annoyance of Blatter, who pointed out in a statement that Chung was an influential member of Fifa for 17 years.

“It is disturbing, to say the least, to hear Dr Chung Mong-joon describe Fifa as a corrupt organisation while announcing his candidacy,” said Blatter. “Even more so when one recalls, and as Dr Chung cannot have forgotten, that he was a Fifa vice-president for 17 years from 1994 until 2011.”