War was declared between the two men after UEFA chief Platini, a long-time Blatter supporter, finally switched allegiances in the wake of the corruption storm that engulfed FIFA earlier this year, with the former France international asking the president of football’s world governing body to step down.
“I forgive everyone, but I will not forget,” Blatter said ominously at the time.
Now, as Platini bids to become the next president of FIFA in February’s election,
Blatter is proving as good as his word.
First came the claim on August 15 that Platini had warned the 79-year-old Blatter he could face prison if he did not withdraw from FIFA’s last presidential race in May, which came just two days after seven FIFA officials were arrested over accusations of bribery and corruption.
Speaking to Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant, Blatter said he found his 80-year-old brother Peter in tears after Platini spoke to him at the FIFA congress in Zurich in the run up to the elections.
"During lunch, Platini had sat down at my brother's table and said: 'Tell Sepp to withdraw from the election or he will go to prison'," Blatter told the newspaper.
Platini’s camp hit back. A source described as close to the Frenchman told AFP that the story was a “complete fabrication”.
“The UEFA president will not dignify these ridiculous allegations with a response,” the source said.
Platini’s ‘skeleton in the closet’
Then, on August 16, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag said it had received a heavily critical dossier on Platini, sent from FIFA’s headquarters.
Entitled "Platini - skeleton in the closet", the mysterious dossier, according to the newspaper, most likely originated from Blatter himself.
"The amazing thing about the text is rather its origin: The article was sent directly from FIFA headquarters in Zurich to various newspaper offices - with a request to reprint, but without reference to the author," wrote Die Welt.
"Blatter himself is said to have ordered the article to put the brakes on Platini, his former friend and current nemesis, in view of his presidential candidacy."
UEFA responded by filing a complaint with FIFA, which said Monday it had launched an investigation.
"FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has received a letter from UEFA regarding the said subject," said FIFA in a statement emailed to Reuters.
"In his answer to UEFA, the FIFA Secretary General has confirmed that FIFA is investigating the matter."
Platini is the current frontrunner in the race to replace Blatter and has vowed to clean up FIFA after a raft of corruption scandals.
However, his decision to vote in favour of Qatar as the 2022 World Cup host is seen as his Achilles heel and the leaked dossier pulled no punches in using that fact to round on Platini.
“He was one of Europe's most skillful players of all time," it said. "But is he great enough to be FIFA President? Anyone taking one look in the direction of Qatar can have only one answer: No."
‘Godfather’ Blatter takes revenge for betrayal
If the dossier is indeed the work of Blatter, it would mark the zenith of an incredible turn around in Platini’s relationship with a man he once described as “my godfather”.
"He worked for me for four years at FIFA, after the 1998 World Cup in France. Together we prepared his board memberships of both UEFA and FIFA. In 2007, he also became president of UEFA, with my direct support,” Blatter said in his comments to de Volkskrant.
But the relationship began to turn sour amid the furore that surrounded the Qatar World Cup. Platini began to distance himself from the increasingly beleaguered FIFA president, despite having voted for Qatar himself – which Blatter has alleged he did at the behest of then French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
In June last year he said he would not be backing Blatter in 2015’s presidential elections as FIFA needed a “breath of fresh air”.
But the rhetoric became decidedly more toxic in the wake of May’s corruption scandal, with Platini declaring himself “disgusted” by the allegations.
"I have had enough - enough is enough, too much is too much,” he said.
Blatter told de Volkskrant he felt betrayed by Platini and, with the Frenchman’s “godfather” analogy proving all too apt, now seems to be exacting his revenge.
"You know, there was a time when our relationship was like that of a father and his son," lamented Blatter.
But even as Platini faces the wrath of his former ally, their once close ties are still a stick with which his rivals for FIFA president can use to beat him.
South Korea's Chung Mong-joon, the latest challenger to enter the race, said Monday Platini’s closeness to Blatter would mean he would be unable to carry out the reforms needed to restore FIFA’s reputation.
“Recently, Platini said Blatter is his enemy, but we know the relationship was like mentor and protege, or father and son," the 63-year-old billionaire businessman said.
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