Platini: If I were president of FIFA, there would be no VAR. FIFA paid me but I was suspended for it.

October 10th: French legendary star Platini was interviewed and talked about the possibility of returning to Juventus, Del Piero, Yildiz, his playing career, the lawsuit with FIFA, VAR and many other topics.

There are rumors about your possible return to Juventus in a management role?

If I were to come back (in a managerial role) it would be to do something good for football as a whole, not for one particular club. I have given everything for Juventus and I cannot experience the same love twice.

What about another potential candidate, Piero? How do you rate him?

Del Piero is a great player and a symbol of Juventus.

What do you think of the way Yildiz is used?

No one would put the No. 10 player on the wing instead of in the center. But you should ask the coach why, not me.

Looking back on your playing career, why are you so popular even among non-Juventus fans?

Maybe it's because I've never made fun of my opponents, let alone the opposing fan base. I play according to my philosophy: in France the people who go to the stadium are the spectators, in Italy they are the fans.

Why did you choose to leave Juventus?

My life is a bit strange and special. When I ended my time at Juventus, I told Agnelli: 'I'm tired, I can't take it anymore' and didn't sign a new contract. I spent very little at Juventus because I was a free agent. Juventus gave me more than I paid for Juventus. I'm tired of players who always say they want to go down in history. You go to a club to play for it, for the fans.

Before joining Juventus, you almost signed with Inter Milan?

Two years before going to Juventus, I signed with Inter Milan, but at that time the borders were closed because foreign players could not enter Italy. When Juventus came to me, I called Inter out of respect. I didn't know Agnelli at the time and he told me we had to win the European Cup. I answered him: ‘It’s easy, I’ll take care of it’.

Your legal battle with FIFA has recently come to an end.

Ten days ago, I received a letter from the Swiss judiciary saying that everything was over, but the case lasted for ten years. At FIFA you meet all kinds of people, then there are prosecutors in Switzerland... Add to that a lot of media coverage and life gets complicated. You know you're going to win eventually, but you spend ten years and all your work, all your passion is taken away from you.

The general situation is that FIFA paid me and then banned me for paying me (the core of the investigation was a consulting fee of 2 million Swiss francs). I still don't understand this, but it's true.

What do you think of VAR technology?

If I had been elected FIFA president, VAR would never have appeared. I think football has to be kept 'human'. With VAR, the problem is simply shifted. Personally, I would only reserve it for touchline and offside calls. Everything else is interpretation and should therefore be left to the referee to interpret according to the rules of football.

How did you move from a player to a management position?

I was in contact with FIFA at the time and met Blatter. One day in Singapore, Blatter asked me if I wanted to be FIFA president. I refused because I was responsible for organizing the World Cup in France. He said to me, well, I hope you can help me become chairman.

When I became an advisor to Blatter, I realized that in order to be influential, I had to have legitimacy. When you are elected, you have the power to do things. Therefore, I ran for executive membership of UEFA and FIFA. A few years later, the UEFA president (Johansson, who served until 2007) said he was stepping down, so I ran for office and won. It was a very tough battle because after they couldn't find anyone to compete with me, Johansson came back and I told him, look, I'm not leaving, I'm not quitting.