Sebastien Nogier/EPA
Michel Platini is to resign as president of UEFA, having failed to overturn the ban from the sport he received for "ethics breaches" regarding a £1.25m payment from FIFA in 2011.A panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) "was not convinced by the legitimacy of the payment", which also saw former FIFA president Sepp Blatter removed from the game.While the duration of Platini's ban has been reduced from six years to four, this still takes him beyond his mandate as UEFA president. The 60-year-old Frenchman has thus accepted defeat – though by no means his own guilt – and elected to stand down. He will however continue to fight against the convictions by taking his case to the Swiss courts.Following the ruling, Platini released a statement in which he said:"I take note of today's decision from CAS but I see it as a profound injustice."This decision inflicts a suspension on me that, as luck would have it, stops me from contesting the next election for the FIFA presidency."As agreed with the national associations, I am resigning from my duties as UEFA president to pursue my battle in front of the Swiss courts to prove my innocence in this case."Life is always full of surprises: I am henceforth available to experience more of them."UEFA will now begin the process of replacing Platini, with the Guardian reporting that an election is "likely in mid-September at meetings of European [football] leaders in Athens, Greece." Ángel María Villar of Spain has been acting president since Platini's suspension last year.Considered one of the greatest players in his country's history, Platini's fall from grace is perhaps even more spectacular than that of Blatter. The former Juventus star, who was heavily responsible for his country's triumph at Euro 84, may continue to fight his case in the courts, but a meaningful return to the sport becomes increasingly unlikely with each new judgement of guilt.
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