Former UEFA President Michel Platini has filed criminal and civil lawsuits against FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, reigniting one of football’s most controversial governance battles more than a decade after it derailed his ambitions of leading world football.

The French football legend lodged the cases in France, accusing Infantino, former FIFA legal director Marco Villiger and former FIFA audit committee chairman Domenico Scala of malicious prosecution and influence peddling. Platini alleges that actions taken against him in 2015 were part of a broader effort to prevent him from becoming FIFA president.

At the heart of the dispute is a payment of two million Swiss francs made to Platini by then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter in 2011. The payment sparked investigations and ethics proceedings that ultimately led to bans for both men and forced Platini out of the race to succeed Blatter as FIFA president.The fallout opened the door for Infantino, who was UEFA secretary general under Platini at the time, to win the FIFA presidency in 2016. Platini has long maintained that the investigations were designed to block his path to football’s top office.

Platini and Blatter were acquitted of fraud and forgery charges by a Swiss court in 2022, with that verdict upheld on appeal in March 2025. The acquittal became final later that year, bringing an end to a legal saga that had stretched for nearly a decade. In addition to the criminal complaint, Platini has filed a civil suit seeking financial compensation from FIFA for damages he claims resulted from the allegations and subsequent investigations. French authorities have also been asked to examine whether FIFA officials improperly coordinated with Swiss prosecutors during the original inquiry.

The 70-year-old, who once appeared destined to become FIFA president, said after his acquittal that he believed the case had been orchestrated to stop his rise within football administration. However, he has previously acknowledged that he is unlikely to return to the sport in an official capacity.

FIFA has consistently denied any wrongdoing in its handling of the case. The world governing body had not issued an immediate response to Platini’s latest legal action at the time of publication.

The fresh legal battle comes just days before the start of the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, placing renewed scrutiny on FIFA’s leadership and reopening questions surrounding one of the most dramatic power struggles in football history.