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NYON, Switzerland -- All 54 European football nations are backing suspended UEFA president Michel Platini. Austrian federation president Leo Windtner, speaking Thursday after attending an emergency meeting at UEFA headquarters, said the member nations agreed to stand by Platini, who last week was suspended for 90 days by the FIFA ethics committee. "We got a unified position of UEFA," Windtner said. "All nations give all support to Mr. Platini." Earlier, a statement from the Russian Sports Ministry said the UEFA executive committee expressed its "full support" for Platini. Russian soccer union president Vitaly Mutko, who is also Russia's sports minister and a member of the FIFA executive committee, attended the meetings, led by Spain's Angel Maria Villar in Platini's absence. "During the first meeting, which was chaired by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, all members of the UEFA executive committee expressed absolute trust and full support for UEFA president Michel Platini," the ministry said in a statement. Platini and FIFA president Sepp Blatter were suspended for 90 days last week by the FIFA ethics committee following an investigation into a 2011 payment to the former France captain. Both Blatter and Platini deny wrongdoing. Pending the outcome of the FIFA investigation, the two soccer officials could be handed longer bans. Platini received 2 million Swiss francs from FIFA in 2011 that, he says, was unpaid additional salary from his job as Blatter's adviser between 1998 and 2002. Platini has not produced a written contract to show the money was owed to him. Because of his ban from any role in soccer, Platini is not allowed to attend Thursday's meeting. UEFA on Thursday also called upon FIFA to make a quick decision on Platini's fate. "We support Michel Platini's right to a due process and a fair trial and to the opportunity to clear his name," a statement said. "We strongly call on all instances involved in the current process: FIFA's Ethics Committee, FIFA's Appeal Committee and ultimately the Court of Arbitration for Sport to work very rapidly to ensure that there is a final decision on the merits of the case by, at the latest, mid-November 2015." UEFA's general secretary Gianni Infantino told a news conference in Nyon that it was agreed that the FIFA presidential election on Feb. 26 "cannot and should not be delayed." "We need to have a final decision. The rest is speculation, and condemnation without due process and it is a bit unfair," he said. Infantino also criticised the "leaks" that had come out about the case. He added: "What's really disappointing is all the leaks coming out. It's not fair that you [the media] know before the person who is accused or suspended. It's not what we call fair process or trial, it just pushes a condemnation without a decision and this is not correct." Executive committee member Allan Hansen, who is also a member of the FIFA audit and compliance committee, said earlier this week he could no longer support Platini if there was no written contract. "I expect to get some further information because I didn't so far," Hansen said as he arrived at Geneva airport on Thursday. FIFA investigators have not yet been convinced there was even an oral agreement between Platini and Blatter that accounts for the unpaid debt called in at the start of 2011. Platini said he did not receive his full salary by 2002 because FIFA could not afford to pay him. Besides the FIFA probe, the payment is also being investigated by the Swiss attorney general. Platini still hopes he can clear his name in time to stand in the FIFA presidential election in February, even though he is expected to be declared ineligible once the candidate integrity checks are conducted after Oct. 26. Only Platini and Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan have said they have submitted their paperwork to FIFA ahead of the deadline for candidates. Villar, who has been a FIFA executive member since 1998, is also reportedly under investigation by the FIFA ethics committee for allegedly having denied to give testimony to Michael Garcia during FIFA's initial ethics probe. He also remains at risk of sanctions from a separate investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
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