KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Michel Platini has reportedly hit a cross-border legal brick wall in his attempt to ‘out’ the men he holds responsible for undermining his bid for the FIFA presidency five years ago.

Media reports in Switzerland have claimed that the central Federal Office of Justice has rejected a French request to assist in pursuing an investigation prompted by Platini’s own complaint.

The former UEFA president and FIFA vice-president believes he was betrayed by a conspiracy among 10 Swiss legal and football officials which led to revelations about the “disloyal payment” of $2m which he received from the world federation at the behest of then president Sepp Blatter.

Platini, who has denied all wrongdoing, was originally a material witness in the Swiss case This has been upgraded to a criminal investigation in which Blatter has reportedly been interviewed lately.

A spokesperson for the Swiss judicial authorities said that the French request concerns issues from a 2015 case which are now deemed to have fallen beyond the four-year time limit.

The Swiss judicial system has become the subject of derision light over the beleeaguered Attorney-General Michael Lauber and bungled attempts to pursue cases concerning FIFA during the Blatter presdency. That was the era during which Platini was president of UEFA whose then general secretary, Gianni Infantino, now heads the world governing body.

#############