Michel Platini, president of UEFA when the 2018 World Cup was awarded, would he have received from a Russian oligarch a work of Pablo Picasso in exchange for his vote in favor of Russia?

According to wiretaps from 2017 revealed by Mediapart on Monday, as part of the judicial investigation opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) on the awarding in 2010 of the 2018 and 2022 Worlds, at the time of the Platini presidency at the UEFA, the French leader acknowledged in a conversation with his wife having received a “painting” from a certain “Ouchmanov”.

For Mediapart, it could be the oligarch Alicher Ousmanov, currently targeted by sanctions from the European Union after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

In the wake of these revelations, Platini's entourage admitted to Le Monde and L'Equipe that the leader had received a "lithograph" of Picasso, and not a painting, from Mr. Ousmanov in 2016 for his 61 years.

"And so after the vote to award the 2018 World Cup," says Platoche's entourage.

Contacted by Mediapart, Alicher Ousmanov denied.

“He never offered or offered paintings, including by Picasso, to Mr. Platini, just as Mr. Platini offered him nothing.

Mr. Usmanov's love of art and sport has nothing to do with politics and intrigue.

They just communicated in a friendly and warm way with Mr. Platini, since Mr. Platini was Mr. Ousmanov's favorite player, ”replied the spokesperson for the Russian billionaire to our colleagues.

Platini strikes back (as he can)

On Tuesday, the former leader of the European Confederation counter-attacked on another file, by making public the filing of a complaint in Paris dated… November 2021, against Gianni Infantino for “active influence peddling” and against Marco Villiger, former legal director of FIFA, for "complicity in active influence peddling".

The Paris prosecutor's office registered this complaint on November 16, according to the receipt of which AFP obtained a copy, without it being known at this stage what action was taken.

The ex-N.10 of the Blues has been directly opposed for several years to Infantino and his entourage, whom he suspects of having ousted him from the race for the presidency of Fifa in 2015 by alerting the Swiss prosecution to a suspicious payment of 2 million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros), made by Fifa on the orders of its president Sepp Blatter to the attention of the French in 2011, without written justification.

In this case, Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter were indicted in Switzerland in November 2021 for several offenses including fraud and are heading for trial.

The two men insist that it is a remainder of salary for work as an adviser dating back to the period 1999-2002.

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