Concern For Platini At UEFA Results In Election Delay?

In the minds of UEFA results of Michel Platini's appeal, yet to be settled, are a foregone conclusion but that hasn't stopped them being as cruel as Saudi Arabian gambling laws to their one-time boss who hovers on the brink of oblivion.

Presidential Election Delay
• UEFA awaits verdict
• Platini's appeal due
• Guilty or innocent?

According to UEFA results of Michel Platini's appeal against his eight year ban from all things football, handed down by the FIFA Ethics Committee are worth waiting for, and European football's ruling body has announced plans to delay election of a new UEFA President until after the process is complete.

Obviously this prompts some fears that Platini (the footballing Sith Apprentice under Darth Blatter) might actually be able to squirm his way out of defrauding international football of several million Euros, and retain his position at the top of European football. Fortunately this is unlikely.

Technical innocence and plausible deniability only work as mitigation for one's actions if one is in possession of some actual credibility, and Michel Platini doesn't have any left, his appeal as likely to succeed as someone trying to bet on sports in Saudi Arabia at Bet365 without a proxy IP address.

So then why the delay? To UEFA results of Platini's appeal must already be as obvious as they are to the rest of us, there's no way he can come back from this, so why even pretend he might be able to stand for head of UEFA again? Are they just trying not to hurt his feelings? Does that seem likely?

Election Delay At UEFA Results As Platini Appeal Is Awaited

“We hope his name is cleared.” Said a statement from UEFA, “and that he can return to the European football family as quickly as possible.” Which is awfully loyal of them, rather touching, and seems to be quite supportive of Platini's plight......or at least it does at first glance.

Read it again and it sounds distinctly like something you get read out on Fox News by a family whose child just gunned down sixteen classmates and is now undergoing psychological evaluation in a secure mental facility. Their shock and disbelief of his guilt obvious in content, but absent from their eyes.

Personally I feel that within UEFA results of Platini's appeal are a foregone conclusion and no one is gambling news of a shock quashing of his ban will be forthcoming, however if that is true we have to reassess UEFA's decision to delay the election till after that appeal is settled.

Far from this being an act of support by his former colleagues, it reeks of being a rather cruel dangling of the outside chance of escape in front of the condemned man's eyes as the noose closes around his windpipe. A seminal “Here's what you could have won.......” moment of footballing politics. Classic.