According to World Sports, former UEFA President Michel Platini and then FIFA President Joseph Blatt were acquitted on March 25. The case, known as the "FIFA Gate", involved fraud and misappropriation of public funds of up to 1.6 million euros.
Initially, the two were suspended for eight years by the FIFA Ethics Committee for the incident. In 2022, the Swiss judicial department declared the two acquitted in the first instance, but the procuratorate then appealed, resulting in the case being heard again. Two months ago, the final verdict confirmed Platini and Blatt's innocence. This result may pave the way for Platini to return to international football. He defeated Swedish Leonard Johnson as elected UEFA president in 2007 and is expected to return to that position in the next UEFA presidential election in 2027. At that time, he will face competition from current chairman Alexander Cheferin.
According to World Sports, Platini may not be a major candidate, but he may become a candidate to challenge the current chairman. It is unclear how FIFA, led by Infantino, will respond to Platini's potential return. Platini and Infantino worked with UEFA for many years, who served as UEFA Secretary-General since 2009 until his successful election as FIFA president in 2016. In the same year, Cheferin replaced Platini, who was suspended a year ago, and became the new chairman of UEFA. This new situation could have a significant impact on European football in the coming months.