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Platini to lead Europe’s fightback against ex-ally Blatter

Re-elected FIFA president Sepp Blatter, right, is congratulated by FIFA vice president and UEFA president Michel Platini after his speech during the 65th FIFA Congress held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015. Blatter has been re-elected as FIFA president for a fifth term, chosen to lead world soccer despite separate U.S. and Swiss criminal investigations into corruption. The 209 FIFA member federations gave the 79-year-old Blatter another four-year term on Friday after Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan conceded defeat after losing 133-73 in the first round. (Patrick B. Kraemer / Keystone via AP)
Re-elected FIFA president Sepp Blatter, right, is congratulated by FIFA vice president and UEFA president Michel Platini after his speech during the 65th FIFA Congress held at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015. Blatter has been re-elected as FIFA president for a fifth term, chosen to lead world soccer despite separate U.S. and Swiss criminal investigations into corruption. The 209 FIFA member federations gave the 79-year-old Blatter another four-year term on Friday after Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan conceded defeat after losing 133-73 in the first round. (Patrick B. Kraemer / Keystone via AP)

By Associated Press 4 min read

LONDON (AP) – In the buildup to the Champions League final, Lionel Messi and Andrea Pirlo could be overshadowed by a star of the showpiece 30 years earlier: Michel Platini.

As Barcelona and Juventus descend on Berlin to contest European soccer’s annual extravaganza on Saturday, the UEFA president will be formulating the continent’s fightback against Sepp Blatter’s FIFA.

Platini, a European Cup winner with Juventus in 1985 who helped Blatter first get elected in 1998, has put UEFA on a direct collision course with FIFA in what he says is a mission to restore credibility to the sport.

Platini and UEFA led efforts to oust Blatter from power, supporting challenger Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan in Friday’s election, but the 79-year-old Swiss official extended his 17-year grip on power. Blatter’s victory came despite some of his close allies, including FIFA vice presidents, being arrested in Zurich ahead of the congress as part of an American investigation into soccer corruption.

Platini will now lead a UEFA meeting in Berlin on Friday to discuss their next move: begrudgingly put up with four more years of Blatter or seriously threaten a European exodus from FIFA.