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Uefa President Michel Platini has threatened compatriot Franck Ribery with a ban if he retires from international duty. The Bayern Munich star announced retirement after an injury kept him out of World Cup participation and with France looking at Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann as his possible successor in the side.
During an interview with German daily Bild, the Frenchman answered questions on various controversial topics – From Qatar to Blatter.
On why he withdrew from challenging Sepp Blatter:
"I was not a coward and had no fear of Sepp Blatter," Platini said. "I have not decided against Fifa, but for Uefa. I still consider myself a candidate for the future.
"I think Blatter should not be standing for re-election. Fifa has a terrible reputation, which is even encouraged by Blatter. The football is suffering. Maybe Wolfgang Niersbach still wants to compete against Blatter in the election, but I don't believe that.
"I know my friend Sepp Blatter, so it would not surprise me if he stood as a candidate again in 2019 for the Fifa presidency. With Sepp, anything is possible.
On Phillip Lahm’s retirement
"I have zero understanding of this. It is not the decision of the players, whether they come to the national team. This is the decision of the coach. If there is disagreement between Lahm and Löw, the Germany coach will no longer call on him, that's one thing. But, basically, it is not Lahm's decision, it's Löw's."
On Ribery’s decision
“It's a very different situation. Franck Ribery cannot simply decide whether or not he plays for France. If Didier Deschamps invites him, he must come to the national team. This is defined in the Fifa statutes. If he does not come, he will be suspended for three games with Bayern Munich. I don't understand him anyway. He is French, the European Championship in 2016 will take place in France!”
On voting for Qatar 2022 and Russia 2018
“I do not regret having voted for Qatar and Russia. I wanted the World Cup to be played in countries which have never hosted. It was not a mistake to vote for Qatar.”
On technology in Football
“I am completely against any further technology in football. The football is distorted, the door is wide open for me too: Bald is still required that drones flying over the playing field and replace the wizard to complete the lines. Players are then hung from sensors jersey. Nobody wants that.”
