FOR PLAT, READ PRAT

Jack it in, pal

MICHEL PLATINI’S admission this week that the draw was fixed for the 1998 World Cup initially provoked anger.

At first glance, news that the disgraced former boss of UEFA had organised “a little shenanigans” so that his own country could meet Brazil in the final was little short of preposterous.

UEFA – and FIFA for that matter – have been so thoroughly discredited with tales of financial misdemeanours that even this latest revelation should come as no surprise.

Ex-juventus midfielder Platini said that a France versus Brazil final “was the dream of everyone” and that every other organising country had done the same.

Unfortunately, once the anger is stripped away, what remains is the arrogance of that statement.

You just know, for absolute certainty, that, had the FA tried something along similar lines, England would have been scheduled to meet someone like, say, Iceland in the last 16.

And we’d never have got anywhere near the final.

JACK WILSHERE has taken a pop at Gareth Southgate by saying that he would have made a difference in Russia.

Tweeting: “I should be there and would have made an impact” is, however, a pointless exercise.

Twelve Premier League starts for Arsenal and a failure to declare his fitness for international duty last time out means that Southgate won’t be hit by cries of “Where’s Wilshere?”

No one has been clamouring for his inclusion – Jack (right) really should have done his talking on the pitch.