Former UEFA President and France legend Michel Platini has revealed that the 1998 World Cup draw was tampered with. Platini, who is currently under trial together with former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, has confessed that there was a scheme to ensure that hosts France, didn’t meet pre-tournament favourites Brazil until the final.
Platini was a very talented player during his days. He is one of the few players to have won the Ballon d’Or at least three times after his exploits in 1983, 1984 and 1985. After retirement, he served as the head coach of the French national team from 1988 to 1992.
France and Brazil won their groups and ended up meeting in the final as planned by Platini and his team. The hosts won convincingly by beating Brazil 3-0 in the final.
Platini and Blatter are currently fighting a myriad of corruption issues in court. The ex-UEFA boss is said to have received close to 1.35 million as a ‘disloyal payment’ from Blatter. Platini has insisted that the charges were brought against him to ensure that he doesn’t become FIFA’s President.