Last updated on .From the section European Football

Platini was part of the official delegation at the 1998 final

"A little trickery" was employed for the 1998 World Cup draw to ensure France and Brazil did not meet until the final, disgraced former Uefa president Michel Platini has claimed.

The French hosted and won their first World Cup 20 years ago, beating holders Brazil 3-0 in the final in Paris.

Former France captain Platini was on the tournament's organising committee.

"When we organised the schedule, we did a little trickery," he told radio station France Bleu Sport. external-link

"France-Brazil in the final, it was the dream of everyone.

"If we finished first in the group and Brazil finished first, we could not meet before the final."

He laughed as he went on: "We did not spend six years organising the World Cup to not do some little shenanigans. Do you think other World Cup hosts did not?"

Brazil and France were the top teams in the Fifa rankings heading into the tournament and were among the eight top-seeded teams.

Two days before the draw took take place, world governing body Fifa announced external-link that holders Brazil would be allocated to Group A while France were in Group C.

It meant that if the two teams finished top they would be on opposite sides of the draw for the knockout stage.

Both made it through to the final at Stade de France where two goals from Zinedine Zidane and another from Emmanuel Petit gave the French a famous victory.

However, at all of the World Cup final tournaments since 1986 - with the exception of 2002 which had two hosts - if the hosts and the holders won their group, they have been kept apart for the knockout stages.

In a statement, Fifa said it had no comment to make on Platini's remarks.

Platini and former Fifa counterpart Sepp Blatter were found guilty in 2015 of ethics breaches over a 2m Swiss Franc (£1.3m) "disloyal payment".

Platini was given an eight-year ban from all football-related activities - later reduced to four on appeal.