Maradona claims Blatter taught Platini 'how to steal'

Rome (AFP) – Former Argentina superstar Diego Maradona on Tuesday blasted FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini, who is bidding to succeed the Swiss as head of world soccer, as two of a kind.

“I’m outside all that because someone called Blatter closed all doors on me,” former Maradona told Naples television station PiuEnne.

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“But I’m not a thief. Blatter did a lot of harm to football and with Platini, it’s a farce. They pretend to be separated, one at FIFA and the other at UEFA, while in fact they were always side by side,” said Maradona.

“If we want a transparent FIFA, we cannot vote for Platini who has been close to Blatter, who taught him how to steal,” added the 1986 World Cup winner in quotes carried by the sports daily Corriere dello Sport.

Maradona, 54, added that he had an agreement with Prince Ali of Jordan, another candidate for the FIFA presidency on Feb. 26.

“If he should win the election, I will be at his side as vice-president,” added the former Napoli and Barcelona star.