The origins of the case date back to a payment of 2 million Swiss francs made to Platini in 2011 and authorised by then-FIFA president Blatter. The payment was reportedly linked to consultancy work carried out between 1998 and 2002, but the delay in payment later attracted scrutiny from investigators.
When details of the transaction became public in 2015, both Platini and Blatter received lengthy bans from football-related activities. At the time, Platini was widely viewed as the leading candidate to replace Blatter as FIFA president. His withdrawal from the race paved the way for Infantino, then UEFA’s general secretary, to win the FIFA presidency in February 2016. Infantino has since been re-elected twice without opposition.
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