UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin tempers talk of Michel Platini payoff

New UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has dismissed allegations about his record in Slovenian football and promised that Europe’s governing body would not make any illegal or unethical payments to banned predecessor Michel Platini.
Ceferin was speaking at the launch of the branding for Euro 2020 at London’s City Hall in what was his first public appearance since being elected in Athens last week.
When asked about recent allegations by Norwegian football magazine Josimar that question gaps in his CV before becoming the president of Slovenia’s FA and claim a loan from UEFA that was intended for football development was actually used to buy shares in a lottery company, Ceferin flatly rejected them.
“No, that’s another joke from the same media [outlet],” the 48-year-old lawyer said, referring to Josimar’s earlier story alleging he was the beneficiary of FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s lobbying.
“[The loan] is completely clear and UEFA has all the documents. And I even wasn’t involved in
this. I expected some stories from the same people who didn’t want me to become president.”
Ceferin was also unequivocal when asked about reports that supporters of Platini within UEFA wanted to award the 61-year-old Frenchman with a handsome payoff for his nine years in charge of the organisation.
That reign came to an abrupt end when the former midfield maestro was banned from football last December, for receiving a “disloyal payment” of two million Swiss francs (£1.3m) from former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter in 2011.
Both men were originally banned by a FIFA ethics committee for eight years but two subsequent appeals have reduced Platini’s sanction to four years without clearing him.
“Look, I heard about the situation yesterday and I have a meeting with the administration about it on Monday,” Ceferin said in regards to Platini’s alleged payoff talks. “But I assure you that we will not do anything illegal or unethical.”
When it was pointed out that Blatter had not received a settlement from FIFA after his ban, Ceferin said: “Who said [Platini] should receive a payoff? I didn’t say he should receive a payoff.”