All Uefa nations give Michel Platini backing

European football’s governing body’s members support suspended president

Michel Platini has been given the unanimous backing of all 54 nations in Uefa as he seeks to justify a payment of €1.85 million made to him by Sepp Blatter in 2011 and to succeed the Swiss as Fifa president.

Platini and the Fifa president Blatter were suspended for 90 days last week by the Fifa ethics committee following an investigation into the payment to the former France captain. Both Blatter and Platini deny wrongdoing.

Emergency meeting

After an emergency meeting in Nyon, European football’s governing body issued a statement saying: “We support Mr Platini’s right to a due process and a fair trial and to the opportunity to clear his name.

“We strongly call on all instances involved in the current process – Fifa’s ethics committee, appeals committee and CAS – to work very rapidly to assure there is a final decision on the merits of the case by mid-November 2015.”

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The Russian sports ministry says the Uefa executive committee had expressed its “full support” for its suspended president Platini. The Russian football union president, Vitaly Mutko, who is also Russia’s sports minister and a member of the Fifa executive committee, was attending the meeting at Uefa headquarters. In the statement, the Russian ministry says during the Uefa executive committee meeting “all members expressed absolute trust and full support” for Platini.

The Austrian FA president, Leo Windtner, endorsed the Russian position when he said all 54 nations had agreed to back Platini for now.

“The meeting was very satisfying because we got a unified position of Uefa. We give to Mr Platini our support,” he said. “All nations give our support to Mr Platini to have a fair treatment.”

Pending the outcome of the Fifa investigation, the two officials could be handed longer bans. Guardian Service