MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Former UEFA President Michel Platini banned from any football-related activity for four years, has decided to avoid European Football Championship Euro-2016 to be held in France, local media reported Friday.
Platini will stay away from football stadiums in order not to spark another conflict with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), De Telegraaf newspaper reported.
Platini and former FIFA President Joseph Blatter were both handed 8-year suspensions last December for their role in a major FIFA corruption scandal. It erupted after Swiss authorities opened a criminal case against Blatter in September over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.03 million at current exchange rates) that he made to Platini. However, later the ban was reduced to four years.
