World 2022 in Qatar: “It was completely impossible for Nicolas Sarkozy to influence my vote”, assures Michel Platini – archyworldys

It is an understatement to say that Michel Platini did not appreciate the interview Sepp Blatter gave to World, in which the former president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) ensures that “Without Sarkozy’s intervention at the last moment on Platini, Qatar would never have had the World Cup” 2022. While the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office opened, in 2019, a judicial investigation around the award of the World Cup to the emirate, the former president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) returns, in an interview with the World, on his controversial vote for the emirate, in the poll on December 2, 2010.

Sepp Blatter told “World” that “without the intervention at the last moment of Sarkozy on Platini, Qatar would never have had the World Cup”. Is it true ?

Hate, mud and infamy is enough! It has been five years since Sepp Blatter made the same false and baseless allegation. I thought that getting older gave access to wisdom and truth. What he says is absolutely false.

I asked to see Nicolas Sarkozy [le 23 novembre 2010] to tell him, alone, face to face that my choice was made and that I was going to vote Qatar [pour le Mondial 2022] and Russia [pour le Mondial 2018]. As I had done with Jacques Chirac to inform him that I was going to vote for Morocco [pour l’attribution du Mondial 2010].

It is normal that as a French citizen, given the political and diplomatic issues around the World Cups, I tell the President of the Republic, for which countries one of his fellow citizens was going to vote. Nicolas Sarkozy did not intervene on my vote.

Did the Elysée lobby for your vote?

Never. I did not receive any pressure, either direct or indirect, from the Elysee.

As ” Mediapart ”revealed it, investigators found, in 2018, notes from Mr Sarkozy’s sports advisor, Sophie Dion, which show that the Elysee Palace had put in place, in 2010, a strategy to convince you to vote for Qatar. Why did Mr Sarkozy want to persuade you to vote for Qatar?

I do not know. But if it was the case, it was in vain: it was completely impossible for Nicolas Sarkozy, and a fortiori for Sophie Dion, to influence my vote or to convince me to vote for their choice.

What would you say to Mr. Sarkozy today concerning this case which earned you to be taken into custody in June 2019?

I do not know what to answer your question, except: “Why did the Elysee invite the Qataris when I had requested a private lunch?” “

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