French football legend Michel Platini on Thursday blasted FIFA’s decision to ban him from the sport for 90 days and said he would pursue his campaign for the leadership of football’s governing body.
"I reject all the allegations that have been made against me," Platini said of a 90-day suspension ordered by FIFA's ethics committee – a sanction also given to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Swiss prosecutors are investigating Blatter for criminal mismanagement, and Platini, who heads European football’s governing body UEFA, has been named in the inquiry over a two-million dollar payment from FIFA in 2011.
In a strongly-worded statement, Platini slammed the "farcical nature of the events" and the "astonishingly vague allegations" against him.
Without mentioning his bid to take over from Blatter, the 60-year-old Frenchman said he had received messages of support from many national associations "encouraging me to continue my work serving football's interests".
French sporting authorities jumped to Platini’s defence earlier in the day.
The head of the country's football federation, Noël Le Graet, said the FIFA ethics committee had taken "an extremely hasty decision" by banning Platini for 90 days.
He said the former Juventus playmaker remained "the man of the situation”.
Thierry Braillard, the secretary of state for sports, told RTL radio that he still believes in Platini's "honesty, integrity and determination" to become the next FIFA president.
UEFA backs its boss
There was also strong support from UEFA’s executive committee, which expressed “full confidence” in its president and said he planned to appeal.
The committee said it had no plans to announce a temporary leader following Platini's ban.
"The UEFA Executive Committee is aware that the UEFA president will immediately take all necessary steps to appeal the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee to clear his name," said a statement.
The committee called for "a very rapid final decision" in the case.
But some European federations have called on the Frenchman to clear up all questions raised.
German federation president Wolfgang Niersbach said Platini must consider whether his FIFA candidacy can be "maintained" following his suspension.
An erstwhile Platini backer, the English Football Association (FA) warned that the Frenchman would have to clear his name or else lose its support.
Its chairman Greg Dyke said: "Platini claims it's a fix, but if they decide he has behaved improperly we will not support him and I'm sure I would have the backing of the FA board on that."
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