Platini Returns $25,000 Watch To FIFA

UEFA President Michel Platini has returned the luxury watch handed out
as a gift before this summer's FIFA World Cup, the UEFA media director
confirmed toDie Welt.

Platini had said last month that he wouldn't return the watch since he
doesn't give back gifts. The FIFA Ethics Committee had a deadline of
October 24 for officials to return their watches or risk facing
disciplinary action.

The watches were originally included in gift bags given to members of
the FIFA Executive Committee, a representative from all 32 teams that
qualified for the World Cup and other South American soccer officials
at the pre-World Cup congress.

While Platini didn't originally plan on returning the watch, he said
he would donate an amount equivalent to the value of the watch to
charity instead. The watches are valued at between $25,000 and
$27,000.

Platini has found himself at odds with FIFA before. He's announced his
opposition to FIFA president Sepp Blatter running again for the
presidency next year and recently called for the report about FIFA's
investigation into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be
made public.