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UEFA President Michel Platini Criticizes FIFA Over Luxury Watch Gift Probe

UEFA President Michel Platini "denounced FIFA's handling over a luxury gifts controversy on Friday" and FIFA then disclosed it spent at least $140,000 on watches for officials at the World Cup, according to Rob Harris of the AP. Platini "was angered by FIFA publicly rebuking football officials who accepted gifts at the World Cup," and said that he will donate about $27,000 to charity "rather than return the Parmigiani watch given to him by the Brazilian federation." Platini, one of FIFA President Sepp Blatter's biggest critics, "questioned why the governing body is only now making an issue out of the Parmigiani watches." Platini said, "I was very surprised by the FIFA press release. I think that the best thing would have been to call us, to say that the ethics committee has done so-and-so and they're not pleased.  But if the ethics committee was not pleased, they should have told us that four months ago in Brazil, when we received the watches." When asked if Blatter had returned his watch, FIFA responded, "Please understand that we cannot communicate about individuals" (AP, 9/19). REUTERS' Tom Hayward reported FA Chair Greg Dyke said that the FA "should lead the way in rejecting a culture of gift-giving in football to counter continual allegations of corruption and bribery within the sport's governing bodies." Dyke, 67, "was one of 65 officials given luxury watches" prior to this year's World Cup finals. Dyke, who has said that he will return the watch, "called for an end to the culture of gift-giving." Dyke: "I think the FA should lead the way by saying, 'Look, we are not going to be part of this culture any more. We are not going to give presents or accept them.'" Dyke, however, "played down suggestions that the controversy could cost him his job." Dyke: "I don't think having a watch that you have no idea the value of and have never used is a resigning matter" (REUTERS, 9/21).

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