UEFA President Michel Platini's FIFA presidential hopes "suffered another serious blow" amid threats to withdraw support for his candidacy "if he cannot produce a contract" to explain his £1.35M "disloyal payment," a claim made by the Swiss attorney general's office, from FIFA, according to Oliver Kay of the LONDON TIMES. The FA has "so far suggested that they and other European associations will continue to support Platini's bid" for the FIFA presidency unless he is found guilty of any wrongdoing, but Allan Hansen, the Danish member of the UEFA exec committee, suggested that the Frenchman "may need to go further." Hansen said to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, "I was deeply disappointed when the story of the 2 million Swiss francs appeared. It raises many questions that we have still not had answered. I expect we will have [an answer] on Thursday. Such a payment requires that there is a contract and also must appear on FIFA's accounts." When asked how he and the UEFA exec committee members would react if -- as is believed to be the case -- Platini "cannot produce a written contract to explain the payment," Hansen said, "So we can no longer support him" (LONDON TIMES, 10/13).
JOHANSSON DENIES KNOWLEDGE: REUTERS' Simon Evans reported Swedish former UEFA President Lennart Johansson said that UEFA was never told about the payment of 2 million Swiss francs from Blatter to Platini. Platini has said the payment was "for work he carried out under a contract for FIFA" as an advisor to Blatter between '99 and '02. Johansson, who was UEFA president from '90-07, said that the FIFA exec committee, which he served on, "was not told about Platini's hiring by Blatter." Johansson: "I was a member of the FIFA executive then and Blatter should have reported it to the executive but he never did. I never heard about this arrangement in FIFA. This is quite a lot of money, not a small amount. I have only learnt through the media that Platini claims that he has a contract with FIFA" (REUTERS, 10/13). SKY SPORTS reported Platini had replaced Johansson as UEFA president two years earlier, but "the Swede continued to attend UEFA executive meetings as honorary president and says the payment was never disclosed." Johansson: "I would have expected this payment to be reported to UEFA. Platini should have mentioned it to the executive. I would have done so. I would have said to the executive, 'I have a contract with Blatter which you may criticize. But this is the truth, this is the money I received and you should know about it'" (SKY SPORTS, 10/13). In London, David Conn reported UEFA told the FA that Platini had a contract for the £1.35M he was paid by FIFA in '11. Sources with knowledge of the payment said that "there is no written contract supporting the payment." Platini and Blatter are "understood to have told investigators" they entered into an "oral agreement." Senior FA sources said that they asked UEFA for an explanation and "were told that Platini had a contract" for the £1.35M. FA decision-makers, including Chair Greg Dyke, "assumed this meant a written contract" (GUARDIAN, 10/12).
UEFA 'MONITORING' ISRAEL: In London, Oliver Todd reported UEFA has "no plans to move Chelsea's Champions League clash with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel next month despite a new wave of violence in the country." Three people died in Jerusalem on Tuesday as tensions "continue to run high with the Foreign Office advising those travelling to Tel Aviv to consider avoiding public transport following a bus gun attack." But UEFA said that while it is monitoring the situation in Israel, it does not envisage Chelsea's Nov. 24 fixture "having to be moved to a neutral venue" (DAILY MAIL, 10/13). The AP reported UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Moldova FA over "crowd issues, including racism, during a European Championship qualifier against Russia." The Moldovans have been charged over "general crowd disturbances, fireworks being set off and racist flags being displayed" (AP, 10/13).
