They play for high stakes in the casinos of Monte Carlo, but in the latest round of soccer politics UEFA president Michel Platini looks increasingly likely to stay away from the tables, preferring instead to bide his time.
The Frenchman is to make a much-anticipated announcement on Thursday after deciding whether or not to stand against long-term incumbent Sepp Blatter in an election to become president of FIFA.
But as it is clear this is a race he is unlikely to win, every indication now is that the 59-year-old will take the pragmatic option and keep his chips in his pocket.
Senior sources who know Platini said they cannot see him running, even though he was once seen as the natural successor to the current long-term FIFA president.
A source said: “He may have distanced himself from Blatter recently, but he is unlikely to beat Blatter in a vote. I don’t see any sign he is prepared to gamble what he has. If he wants to become FIFA president he will stand a better chance in five years’ time.”
The main obstacle barring Platini’s way, of course, is Blatter. The 78-year-old Swiss has been president of FIFA since 1998 and has given countless hints this year that he will stand again for a fifth term at the FIFA Congress in Zurich next June.
Speaking in March after the UEFA Congress in Kazakhstan, Platini told Reuters: “There is only one person who can beat Blatter – me.
“But I have not yet decided to run. I am happy being UEFA president and I still have to decide about FIFA.”
He also said he had plenty of support from outside Europe. But Blatter appears to have more.
In June, FIFA’s six confederations held congresses or meetings and Blatter addressed all of them. All of them, besides UEFA, pledged their support to him.
Whether Platini will inform Blatter of what he intends to do before Thursday is another matter entirely.
The two men have become estranged over the last few years and Platini has withdrew his support for Blatter.
“I think FIFA needs a breath of fresh air. A new mandate for him would not be good for football,” he said.
That is a long way from declaring his own candidacy, though, and while Platini would like to see change at FIFA, it is hard to see either man gaining a straight majority of votes from FIFA’s 209 member associations.