LONDON: England’s Football Association says it will continue to back Michel Platini’s bid to become president of FIFA despite his links to a corruption inquiry.

Investigators are probing payments made to the French president of European federation UEFA by his FIFA counterpart Sepp Blatter in 2011.

The FA announced in July it was backing the Frenchman for the role and said on Wednesday: “We are still of that view.”

However, it added: “Events of recent days have raised a number of issues which do need to be fully examined.”

Swiss investigators have described Platini, 60, as being treated as “between a witness and an accused person.”

The FA board met on Wednesday and later said it maintained its “unanimous” support for Platini.

Blatter has said he will step down from football’s world governing body in February, with Platini among those who will stand for the post.

Explaining its support for the former France international, the FA said: “We thought he was an excellent president of Uefa and could bring those same leadership qualities to Fifa.”

But it stressed: “We are following the ongoing investigation initiated by the Swiss attorney general which Mr Platini is co-operating with in full.”

Swiss prosecutors are looking into a payment made to Platini in 2011 for work he completed for Blatter almost a decade earlier.

Last week, Swiss prosecutors announced Blatter was investigated on suspicion of criminal mismanagement in relation to that payment.

Both men, who face a FIFA ethics committee inquiry, have denied any wrongdoing

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