In the "latest round of football politics," UEFA President Michel Platini is preferring to "bide his time before showing his hand," according to Mike Collett of REUTERS. Platini is "to make a much-anticipated announcement on Thursday after deciding whether or not to stand against long-term incumbent Sepp Blatter in an election to become president" of FIFA. But as it "is clear this is a race he is unlikely to win, every indication now is that the 59-year-old will take the pragmatic option and keep his chips in his pocket." Senior sources who "know Platini well" said that "they cannot see him running." One anonymous source said, "The key point is, he is doing a good job as president of UEFA and the European associations want him to remain as president. He may have distanced himself from Blatter recently, but he is unlikely to beat Blatter in a vote." Whether Platini will inform Blatter of "what he intends to do before his media announcement on Thursday is another matter entirely." The two men, "once close, have become estranged over the last few years" and on the day the World Cup started in Brazil, Platini "publicly withdrew his support for Blatter" (REUTERS, 8/22).
