FA chairman Greg Dyke: 'FA will withdraw Michel Platini support if guilty'

By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter | 09 October 2015

Chairman Greg Dyke says that the Football Association will withdraw its support for Michel Platini if the UEFA president is found guilty of wrongdoing.

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has claimed that the organisation will withdraw its backing for UEFA president Michel Platini to take over at FIFA if he is found guilty of wrongdoing in relation to an investigation into alleged corruption.

Platini, as well as FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the world governing body's general secretary Jerome Valcke, has been issued with 90-day bans.

Blatter, who is due to step down from his role as FIFA chief next February, is under a criminal investigation regarding an alleged "disloyal" payment of £1.3m, which he transferred to Platini in 2011.

The FA released a statement yesterday claiming that they will continue to back Platini unless the outcome of the investigation proves the Frenchman guilty of wrongdoing.

"If the ethics committee reaches a conclusion that Mr Platini has not behaved properly or has behaved dishonestly then of course the FA will not support him," Dyke told PA.

"That's why we said in our statement that we are awaiting the results of the investigation - we need to see the evidence. I can see why people are saying we should stop supporting him now, but we will follow what the ethics committee decides.

"Platini claims it's a fix, but if they decide he has behaved improperly we will not support him and I'm sure I would have the backing of the FA board on that."

Platini has been the favourite to succeed Blatter as president next year.