Platini: I won´t commit suicide – I will fight to the end

Michel Platini has vowed to continue his fight against his ban from football after FIFA rejected his appeal.

The former UEFA president saw his eight-year suspension reduced by two years by the FIFA Ethics Committee on Wednesday, though his attempts to have the sanction quashed were dismissed.

Platini confirmed he will take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and insists he will do everything to have his name cleared.

“I won’t commit suicide. I’m not on Valium. My destiny was not to be president of FIFA, but to be in the France team,” the 60-year-old, who had intended to run in the FIFA presidential elections on Friday, told L’Equipe.

“I’m not a politician, I’m a man of football. And today, I still am. But I will fight to the end against injustice, to have my name cleared, as I have done absolutely nothing wrong.”

Platini went on to accuse FIFA “bureaucrats” of orchestrating his ignominious exit from football governance and has backed UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino as the right man to succeed Sepp Blatter at the head of the game.

“The FIFA bureaucrats took power. It’s they who have done everything to have me fired,” he said. “Today, we must know what FIFA we want. Do we want a FIFA of the elected or a FIFA controlled by the bureaucrats? This is the challenge of the coming years.

“We worked together for nine years. He’s a hard worker. I have confidence in him.”

Blatter also saw his eight-year ban – which was imposed as a result of a “disloyal payment” made to Platini in 2011 – reduced by two years. Both men deny any wrongdoing.