Michel Platini will not be able to reform FIFA – he is part of the old guard, says Lennart Johansson

Michel Platini will not be able to reform FIFA - he is part of the old guard, says Lennart Johansson

London Evening Standard



Lennart Johansson knows how difficult it is to remove Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini from world football. In 1998 Johansson, then UEFA president, stood against Sepp Blatter for the top job at FIFA and lost. Then, in 2007, Johansson was dethroned by Platini after 17 years at the head of UEFA.



However, Blatter’s reign as FIFA president is finally nearing its end as he is being forced to step down in the wake of the scandal that has engulfed the game’s governing body.



The race to succeed him took a twist today when one of the candidates, Chung Mong-joon, claimed FIFA had charged him for allegedly breaking their ethics code as a ploy to prevent him from running for the presidency.



Platini is also in the running to replace Blatter at next February’s election but Johansson says: “Platini’s still part of the same world. That’s my impression. I doubt he will be able to reform FIFA.”