Trouble in Paris Tuesday morning for former UEFA President, Michel Platini, who the French police detained amid an ongoing corruption investigation into Qatar’s 2022 World Cup hosting bid. While Platini denies any wrongdoing, ESPN FC judicial sources confirmed that Platini is being held for questioning.

Platini’s PR team has released a statement saying: “Michel Platini expresses himself serenely and precisely, answering all the questions, including those on the conditions for the awarding of Euro 2016, and has provided useful explanations.”

Following his detainment on Tuesday, French police took Platini to a cell at the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police, located in the Western suburbs of Paris. Platini served as the President of UEFA from 2007 to 2015. Before working for UEFA, Platini gained notoriety playing as the No. 10 for both the Italian club Juventus and the French national team. Reports suggest that Platini played a major part in influencing FIFA to award Qatar as the host for the 2022 World Cup.

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019- TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Platini’s lawyer released a statement earlier today saying that his client, “has nothing to feel guilty about and maintained that he is totally uninvolved with those events that are beyond him.”

In their winning bid for the 2022 Wolrd Cup, Qatar beat out the likes of Australia, the United States of America, South Korea and Japan, thus raising eyebrows all across the world.

UEFA fired Platini back in 2015 after receiving payment of over 2 million francs from then-FIFA President, Sepp Blatter. Platini fought hard to reduce the eight-year ban imposed on him by FIFA, and last May became cleared of all wrongdoings regarding the 2022 World Cup bids. One would imagine a new ban will be enforced now, regardless of the outcome of Platini’s detainment.

On June 5, current FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “Today, on an election day, nobody talks about crisis. Nobody talks about rebuilding FIFA from scratch. Nobody talks about scandals. Nobody talks about corruption.”

The United States has been pushing for a 2026 FIFA World Cup hosting gig for quite some time, but Sepp Blatter does not think this is the best idea.

2026 FIFA World Cup U.S. Hosting Bid News

The Swiss former FIFA president – who resigned from World soccer’s governing body following a 17-year tenure along with other top executives in 2015 after a long investigation into financial misconduct – has officially voiced his support for the 2026 World Cup to be held in Morocco, despite the U.S.’s bid, a three-way application with Canada and Mexico.

Referencing the joint bid from the North American countries, Blatter tweeted early Thursday: “World Cup 2026: Co-Hosting rejected by FIFA after 2002 (also applied in 2010 and 2018). And now: Morocco would be the logical host! And it is time for Africa again!”

Blatter previously championed for the competition to be held in another African country: in South Africa in 2010.

Morocco had previously vied to host the Africa Cup of Nations, although its bid was rejected and Equatorial Guinea won the hosting bid after Morocco was criticized for its handling of the Ebola crisis in 2015.

The last time two or more countries co-hosted the World Cup was in 2002, when the tournament was played in South Korea and Japan.

Nigeria applied to co-host with Benin, Ghana and Togo in 2010, but Blatter stated at the time that FIFA would not accept co-hosts going forward except in “exceptional circumstances.” A joint bid from Tunisia and Libya that year was also rejected.

Before Russia was selected as the host for the upcoming 2018 World Cup — which will begin in June — the FIFA executive committee voted against joint bids from Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as Spain and Portugal.

The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar.

Blatter’s tweet comes one day after a bipartisan group of 43 U.S. senators wrote a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to pursue an American joint bid for the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The move is surprising, particularly because of Trump’s multiple and strong criticisms of NAFTA — an organization the three nations are a part of — and especially of Mexico, whom he claims he will force to reimburse the U.S. for the construction of a border wall as a way to curb immigration.

“As one of three host nations, the United States would have the opportunity to deepen the relationship between our citizens and the extended global soccer community,” the letter reads. “It would build on a successful legacy for our three nations, which together have hosted 13 FIFA-sponsored tournaments.”

A Gallup poll in 2017 found that soccer is the fourth-favorite spectator sport in the U.S.

Blatter is serving a six-year ban from soccer following the discovery of an non-contracted salary of $2 million to one-time adviser Michel Platini. 

The Swiss chief has also faced an accusation of sexual harassment. In November, former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo claimed Blatter groped her at an awards ceremony in 2013.

The Ethics Committee, the world’s official governing body for football, officially announced the ban of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini for eight years today. This is after the committee found the pair guilty of conflicts of interest and breach of loyalty and gifts but were cleared of bribery and corruption allegations.

The official FIFA statement reads: “The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee chaired by Mr Hans‑Joachim Eckert has banned Mr Joseph S. Blatter, President of FIFA, for eight years and Mr Michel Platini, Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA, for eight years from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and international level. The bans come into force immediately.”

The pair had disciplinary hearings before FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert last week for a supposed $2 million payout to Platini that was signed off by Blatter. The pair stated that the payment was an agreement that was worked for between 1999 and 2002 by Platini when he was a technical adviser for FIFA. Because of this allegation, both men were provisionally suspended for 90 days back in October after appealing the decision.

Blatter vowed after the decision was made today to appeal the charges against him and that he would not back down in saying, “We will go once again to the Appeal Committee. I’m a Swiss citizen. In the Swiss law you wouldn’t be suspended for eight years — you will have had to commit something very, very important.” Moreover, he added, “I am fighting not for me, but as the elected President of FIFA … and they have cut me off. We have to defend ourselves, I hope Platini feels the same.”

Blatter announced back in June that he would be stepping down as president of FIFA once a new election took place. This announcement saw Platini possibly coming out as the next president during the February 2016 elections, even though they may not be the case now.

Jack Warner is being investigated for missing Haiti relief money, according to the BBC.

Jack Warner Investigated Over Missing Haiti Relief Money

While little is known about the investigation because it is ongoing, this latest corruption allegation tossed at Warner started a few years ago. In 2010, the South Korean FA and FIFA raised about $750,000, which was to be donated as a relief fund to Haiti after the earthquake.

However, it is possible that the fund never made it to Haiti and were placed in a back account designated by former FIFA vice president Jack Warner in 2010. As the controller of his country’s football federation (TTFF), he was the only one who received and controlled the donation. And since then, the cash has gone missing, with little insight into what happened to it since the original 2012 allegations.

“The TTFF acknowledges it is aware of funds made available by both FIFA and the Korean football federation for the football victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake in 2010,” TTFF stated in 2012. “However, we are unable to confirm the quantum of funds received, as these [donations] did not go into the account used by the TTFF administration for its day-to-day operations, but instead to the TTFF’s LOC (local organizing committee) account as was requested by Mr. Jack Warner… The current executive is unaware of how these funds were disbursed or utilized and is awaiting the promised audited accounts from Mr Warner.”

Now, these charges have resurfaced, as the United States are investigating whether or not Warner used the funds for personal gain. He is already facing extradition to the U.S. for his aforementioned bribery charges, which rocked FIFA just a few short weeks ago.

He has also been recently in the news for defending himself with an Onion article as well as promising to cooperate with the authorities. As for the latter, he plans on releasing an “avalanche” of evidence that could even implicate Sepp Blatter.

Jack Warner, former FIFA vice president, plans on cooperating with authorities and promises to not go down alone.

 Jack Warner Plans To Cooperate With Authorities

If you were to ask any soccer fan, what FIFA executive, old or new, do you think was a part of the 14 that were arrested? He or she would probably mention Jack Warner’s name. The retired FIFA vice president has been embroiled in corruption charges since the early 2000s.

So when 14 people — seven of those were current FIFA executives — were indicted by the U.S. government on a slew of corruption charges, it was not surprising to see his name thrown in the mix. And it has been wonderful watching the old man make a fool out of himself lately – at one point, he proclaimed his innocence by using a satirical Onion article as an example.

But now, he is not playing anymore games, as he promises to release “an avalanche” of evidence against FIFA, including “checks and corroborated statements” that implicate high officials, like Sepp Blatter.

“I will no longer keep secrets for them who actively seek to destroy [Trinidad and Tobago],” Warner stated to his constituents.

“I apologize for not disclosing my knowledge of these events before,” he said. “Not even death will stop the avalanche that is coming. The die is cast. There can be no turning back. Let the chips fall where they fall.”

On top of this, the “checks and corroborated statement” that he is supplying to the proper authorities will detail “the link between FIFA, its funding and [Warner]; the links between FIFA, its funding and the United National Congress.”

This is quite impressive claims from a man who just recently attempted to squash his corruption charges, by holding up an article mocking FIFA’s corruption. Still, this cannot be a good thing for the soccer corporation that has been having a tough two weeks.

First it was the 14 indictments, which somehow led to Blatter’s reelection. As a result, the newly elected president decided to resign, effective a new election that could be held anywhere from December to March. And finally, the FBI has decided to open up their investigation to include the 2018 and 2022 World Cup voting, which was somehow went to Russia and Qatar.

So if Jack Warner truly has evidence that implicates Sepp Blatter and more influential figures, then buckle up FIFA. It is about to be a bumpy summer.

Just days after Sepp Blatter’s re-election, he announced that he will be resigning from FIFA following another election process.

Sepp Blatter Resigns From FIFA

Sepp Blatter has been the punchline of quite a few jokes over the last few days. Yet the overseer of what many consider to be the most corrupt sports organization in the world walked away from last week’s arrests unscathed, securing his fifth term as FIFA president after opposing candidate Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan withdrew.

However, amidst last week’s scandal, where 14 individuals were arrested for allegedly taking over $150 million in bribes, and reports that Blatter’s assistant Jerome Valcke was allegedly the middle man for some of the bribes — something FIFA vehemently denies — the president decided to step down from his position.

“I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football,” Blatter stated at today’s press conference in Zurich. “I felt compelled to stand for re-election, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organization. That election is over but FIFA’s challenges are not. FIFA needs a profound overhaul.”

“While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football… Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA President until that election.”

Afterwards, he asked for FIFA to re-congregate before the next scheduled meeting — which is not until May 13, 2016 — so they could elect a new president without further delay. Domenico Scala told ESPN that a new election could be held anywhere between December 2015 and March 2016, leaving Blatter in power until then.

He would go on to talk about the indictments and FIFA’s corruption, which he blames on the Executive Committee’s representatives and the organization’s lack of checks and balances. “We need deep-rooted structural change. The size of the Executive Committee must be reduced and its members should be elected through the FIFA Congress.” On top of this, he believes that these “integrity checks” need to be done through FIFA and that each representative, like the president, should have term limits.

“I have fought for these changes before and, as everyone knows, my efforts have been blocked,” Blatter added. “This time, I will succeed.”

It is important to note that he was not implicated in any of the corruption charges brought on by the FBI. But many speculated on Blatter’s involvement, especially with the selection process of Qatar as a host site in 2022.

Sepp Blatter has won a sixth term as FIFA President after opposing candidate Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan withdrew before the second round of voting. Blatter had received a lead in the first round but not enough to gain a majority to win the position outright, which had sent it to a second round before the decision was made. Baltter, who has come under fire for his decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup, among other issues, and his alleged role in the organization’s corruption, will remain in his position even with vocal opposition from the United States and much of Europe.

The vote capped off a chaotic week in Switzerland for FIFA. Earlier in the week, U.S. authorities, with the help of the Swiss, conducted a sweeping crackdown of FIFA amid a corruption investigation, resulting in the arrest of many high ranking officials. Today’s FIFA Congress continued the madness, as a bomb threat delayed the proceedings of the meeting in Zurich. The agenda was also halted when the Palestine FA attempted to get a vote on banning the Israeli FA, which was then shot down and withdrawn before it could go to a time-costing vote.

Blatter’s term as president has been extremely tumultuous, as corruption allegations run rampart throughout FIFA. The most disputed decision was FIFA’s awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar, a nation with no soccer history. It has become fairly common knowledge that Qatar bought their bid, with questions also raised of Russia’s 2018 World Cup. Furthermore, Qatar’s appalling human rights record has been widely publicized, especially with the deaths of many low-paid migrant construction workers already with still seven years to go until the event. The hot weather has also forced FIFA to move the Qatar World Cup to November and December, right in the middle of the European league season and the end of the MLS Playoffs in the United States and Canada.

The United States Soccer Federation and UEFA, the European sanctioning body for soccer, have both publicly denounced Blatter and hoped to drum up support for Prince Ali. However, Blatter has made many allies through questionable means elsewhere in the world, which continued to give him support throughout the voting process. During his speech before the vote, Blatter was met by rounds of applause. After winning the vote, the victorious Blatter seemed cocky in his acceptance speech and even referred to an “offshore” future.

As FIFA deals with its growing corruption scandal and disapproval by soccer federations and fans, Blatter’s next term might not be that long lived. For now, though, it’s still the Sepp Blatter show in world sport’s most powerful organization.

After a FIFA task force recommended a November-December schedule for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, FIFA President Sepp Blatter told reporters that Dec. 18 is the absolute latest the final could be held. This comes after UEFA, Europe’s soccer sanctioning body, suggested a December 23rd ending.

“We have to stop at the 18th,” Blatter said after meeting reporters in Belfast for an International Football Association Board meeting. “The World Cup will not go on until the 23rd, definitely not.”

The move will be slightly more welcoming for England, as multiple big wigs are trying all they can to lobby FIFA to protect their festive period slate of matches around Christmas. A Dec.18 end would make it more possible for the Premier League and lower divisions to hold their Boxing Day (Dec. 26) matches, which are a huge tradition in England.

Still, the recommended move of the 2022 World Cup to winter has upset many the heads of many leagues, especially those in Europe. A November-December World Cup will disrupt the seasons of almost every major league in the world of soccer. The move, which is subject to FIFA executive committee approval in March, is being done due to the unbearable heat that affects Qatar in the World Cup’s traditional months of June and July.

Although Blatter has been the most vocal defender of FIFA’s decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he’s grown more and more under fire in the soccer committee for it. The weather conditions and the move to winter are only some of the problems facing the future event, as Qatar’s human rights issues, construction problems, and lack of transparency have all plagued FIFA over the decision.