NYON, Switzerland (AP) – All 54 European soccer nations decided Thursday to back UEFA President Michel Platini.

Platini and FIFA president Sepp Blatter were suspended for 90 days last week by the FIFA ethics committee following an investigation into a payment from soccer’s governing body. While Blatter has been replaced at FIFA with Issa Hayatou becoming acting president, Platini retains the UEFA presidency and salary despite officially being banned from stepping into the governing body’s headquarters.

”Currently the president of UEFA is only suspended by FIFA,” UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said. ”For the time being he does receive his salary as he does continue being UEFA president.”

Platini received 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) from FIFA in 2011 which, he says, was unpaid additional salary from his job as Blatter’s adviser between 1998 and 2002.

Platini’s lawyer took questions at Thursday’s meeting of all 54 UEFA members and the executive committee who decided to unanimously continue supporting its leader of eight years, Infantino said.

”The lawyer expressed the wish of Mr. Platini to fight with all instances to clear his name,” Infantino said. ”And Mr. Platini got the support of the executive committee for this to happen – to fight to clear his name.”

Austrian federation president Leo Windtner confirmed that ”all nations give all support to Mr. Platini.”

”We got a unified position of UEFA,” Windtner said outside UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

Infantino said UEFA members support Platini’s ”right to a due process and a fair trial and for the opporutnity to clear his name” which they want to happen by mid-November.

Platini is appealing against the interim suspension, pending a full verdict by FIFA’s ethics judge, and he has the further option of going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Platini still hopes to stand in the FIFA presidential election in February, even though it seems hard for him to be declared ineligible once the candidate integrity checks are conducted after Oct. 26.

Platini submitted his paperwork hours before being suspended last week.

”Michel Platini is already a candidate for the FIFA presidency,” Infantino said, overlooking the fact that status is only declared by FIFA’s election committee.

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.

FIFA investigators have not yet been convinced there was even an oral agreement between Platini and Blatter which 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.

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 was not allowed to attend Thursday’s meeting.

Besides the FIFA probe, the payment is also being investigated by the Swiss attorney general.

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