Michel Platini, the former head of European football association UEFA, was detained and questioned by French police on Tuesday over the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, a French judicial source confirmed to Reuters.
Platini's lawyer, William Bourdon, said his client was innocent of all charges.
The detention of the former soccer star was first reported by French investigative website Mediapart.
France's national financial prosecutor's office, which specialises in investigating economic crimes and corruption, has been leading a probe into the awarding of the 2022 tournament to the Gulf emirate since 2016.
It is looking into possible offences including private corruption, conspiracy and influence peddling.
Officials with Qatar's World Cup organising committee said they had no immediate comment.
FIFA "reiterates its full commitment to cooperating with the authorities in any given country of the world where investigations are taking place in connection with football activities," it said in a statement.
