Suspended Federation Internationale de Football Association president Sepp Blatter says an overwhelming amount of stress nearly killed him earlier this month.
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Platini has also been suspended from the organisation following the accusations, having received a payment of £1.35m a full nine years after completing contracted work for Blatter.
This comes two days after the investigatory chamber announced that it had completed its investigation and sent a report containing its findings and recommended sanctions to the adjudicatory chamber, headed by German Judge Hans-Joachim Eckert. Details were not given. While suspended, Platini can not lobby regional confederations to support his candidacy, while the five other men vying for the job-who have already passed FIFA’s integrity tests-are free to campaign.
The 79-year-old has now said: “I was very close to death”.
“I was close to dying”, he said.
A spokesman Eckert for says Blatter and Platini “will be invited to submit positions including any evidence” and can request hearings.
“If he comes back, then he will be elected… and if he comes back, then I will come back as well”.
Last week, Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini lost appeals of their suspensions, which stem from an investigation into a $2 million payment Blatter made to Platini in 2011.
“Platini is an honest man”, Blatter told RTS in an interview to be aired on Wednesday.
Blatter repeated his legal defence that a verbal agreement for Platini to receive the money was a valid contract in Swiss law.
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FIFA became embroiled in the worst corruption scandal in its 111-year history in May when 14 football officials, including two FIFA vice-presidents, and sports marketing executives were indicted in the United States on corruption charges.
