FIFA-UEFA friendly called off amid corruption probe

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini will avoid coming face-to-face amid the football corruption scandal after a UEFA-FIFA match scheduled for Friday was called off.

Blatter, the FIFA president, would usually travel to Platini’s UEFA headquarters in Nyon for the friendly.

But FIFA told The Associated Press that “in a joint decision it was agreed to postpone the UEFA-FIFA challenge 2015, which had been scheduled for Friday, 2 October, until further notice”.

The game would have come a week after a criminal investigation was opened into Blatter’s role in part over a payment in 2011 to Platini.

Platini is being treated “between a witness and an accused person”, Swiss authorities say.

The rift between Blatter and Platini widened recently when UEFA complained to FIFA about a document being distributed attempting to smear its president.

On Wednesday, Blatter has told his staff he has done “nothing illegal or improper” and will remain FIFA president.

Blatter is expected to hand over power in February when an emergency election is held, triggered by the president’s resignation statement four days after being re-elected for a fifth, four-year term in May.

But the 79-year-old Blatter does not appear to be planning any sudden exit despite being the subject of a criminal investigation over his management of world football.