‘Sepp Blatter treated FIFA like his private property’: Former UEFA chief executive speaks to talkSPORT

A former UEFA executive has defended Michel Platini’s part in the ongoing controversy surrounding disgraced FIFA president Sepp Blatter, insisting you cannot put the banned chiefs ‘in the same boat’.

On Monday, the pair were suspended from all football-related activities for eight years as the result of an investigation into a “disloyal payment” of 2million Swiss francs [£1.3million] to Platini, signed off by Blatter.

Blatter pleaded his innocence in a press conference shortly after the announcement, insisting the transfer was made as a result of a “gentlemen’s agreement” - a claim dismissed by FIFA's ethics committee.

UEFA also said it was “extremely disappointed” in the decision to ban Platini, and vowed to support their president's right to clear his name.

And former chief executive Gerhard Aigner, who worked at the federation for 14 years, believes it is unfair to tar both men with the same brush.

Joining talkSPORT’s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show to discuss the verdict, the German said: “The longer you are in power the more difficult it is to step down.

“Sepp Blatter had this strange attitude towards his job which was not quite normal. He used to declare FIFA as his fiancé, in a way he took FIFA as his private property from the beginning.

“I don’t think you can put Blatter and Platini in the same boat. Being close to Blatter meant Platini became part of his system.

“In acting as executive president, it meant Blatter more or less didn’t have to respect any rules. He was taking operational decisions and there was no more control from his executive committee over what he was doing.

“How was he allowed to do that? That’s a mystery to me.

“What needs to be done now is to define clearly the relationship between federations and FIFA.

“Instead of having a complementary situation there’s a competitive situation, especially from the side of FIFA because they think they are a superior authority, which creates all these problems.

“In the present structures it is almost impossible for FIFA to do their job correctly. Their structures are totally outdated and have to be changed.

“In 1996 there was a proposal to make this change, but of course they were defeated by Blatter, who together with his supporters had an interest that nothing changes.

“The people at FIFA must change, that’s for sure.”