Platini warned me of prison if – Blatter

 FIFA president Sepp Blatter has alleged UEFA
counterpart Michel Platini warned him he faced
prison if he did not withdraw from the world football
governing body’s presidential race.
 Speaking exclusively to Dutch newspaper de
Volkskrant, Blatter claimed the warning, in which
Platini allegedly said Blatter would go to jail if he did
not withdraw from May’s FIFA presidential race, was
made to the Swiss official’s brother.Blatter said he found his 80-year-old brother Peter
crying at the FIFA congress in Zurich in May, where
the 79-year-old Blatter was re-elected for a fifth FIFA
term, before later vowing to step down and hold new
elections.
“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’,” said Blatter.
Blatter claimed the exchange happened before the
elections but his brother only told him about it
afterwards.
“This complete fabrication is the latest in a series of
attempts from Zurich to distract everyone from the
problems FIFA is confronted with,” a source close to
Platini told AFP.
“The UEFA president will not dignify these ridiculous
allegations with a response.”
Blatter continued his claims by saying he felt
betrayed by Platini, 60, who is the favourite to
succeed the Swiss in February’s new election.
“You know, there was a time when our relationship
was like that of a father and his son,” said Blatter.
“He worked for me for four years at FIFA, after the
1998 World Cup in France. Together we prepared his
board memberships of both UEFA and FIFA. In 2007,
he also became president of UEFA, with my direct
support.”
Blatter said Platini has “changed” but that he does not
know why the UEFA chief, a former France
international player and coach, should have turned
against him.
“You will have to ask him about his character. I don’t
know what goes on in his head,” said Blatter.
Although Blatter was re-elected, despite a corruption
scandal engulfing the whole process after seven FIFA
officials were arrested over accusations of bribery,
the Swiss announced four days later that he would
resign.
“The mounting pressure on me and FIFA left me no
other choice. I was faced with a tsunami,” said
Blatter.
“It was a shock. It was not an easy decision to take,
but it gave me time to think about what had gone
wrong.”
The source close to Platini said the Frenchman is
concentrating on rehabilitating FIFA’s reputation
following the corruption scandal rather than
responding to allegations from Blatter.
“Michel Paltini is currently more concerned with the
preparation… of a programme to restore the image
and reputation of FIFA,” said the