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A former UEFA president banned for corruption by FIFA, Michel Platini has revealed that the France '98 World Cup draw for France to win.
AFP reports, Platini said that match fixing elements and as introduced in the 1998 World Cup draw to ensure his home country france avoided playing Brazil until the final which it won in Paris.
Almost 20 years after France hosted and won the World Cup, the two men who organized it recalled very differently Friday if Les Bleus were helped by a fixed draw to dodge playing defending champion Brazil for as long as possible.
“When we organized the calendar, we did a little trickery,” Platini, who led the French organizing committee for several years, told radio station, France Bleu.
Platini said it ensured France and Brazil would be in opposite halves of the knockout draw if each won its group.
Indeed, Brazil was top-seeded in Group A — by rights as the 1994 World Cup winner — and France was placed in Group C before the draw. Both did top their groups and advanced to the final won 3-0 by France.
Blatter, however, explained that this was standard FIFA practice before and after 1998 to prepare the draw like this — setting up a potential dream final between host and defending champion.
“This is absolutely normal what has been done,” Blatter told The Associated Press in a telephone interview, recalling the fifth and final World Cup he prepared as FIFA’s top administrator before becoming president.
“I am very surprised that Platini came out and said this. There was not corruption. “There is nothing strange.”
FIFA’s ethics committee banned Platini and Blatter in 2015 though both vigorously denied wrongdoing.
Blatter authorized FIFA in 2011 to pay Platini $2 million in non-contracted salary for his work as a presidential adviser from 1998 World Cup through 2002.
The case also involved pension contributions requested by Platini which he was not entitled to.
The 2006 World Cup was the last time that the defending champion was pre-allocated to a group in the draw.
At the 2010 World Cup draw, host South Africa was sure to be in Group A and defending champion Italy entered the draw with the other seven top-seeded nations.
