Former FIFA Boss Sepp Blatter and French Soccer Icon Michel Platini Cleared of Corruption Charges in Swiss Court
A Swiss appeals court has acquitted former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and French football icon Michel Platini of corruption charges. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday at the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in Muttenz, near Basel, upheld the duo's 2022 acquittal, marking the end of a long-running legal battle over a controversial payment made in 2011.
The case centered around a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.26 million) that Blatter authorized for Platini in 2011. Swiss federal prosecutors alleged that the payment, made while Platini was president of UEFA, was fraudulent and without legal basis. However, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support the prosecution's claims.
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The ruling reaffirmed that Blatter and Platini had a gentlemen's agreement regarding the payment, which covered consultancy work Platini performed for FIFA between 1998 and 2002. 'It cannot be assumed that the defendants acted with the intention of enriching themselves in the sense of the charged offenses,' the court stated.
The FIFA scandal erupted in 2015, exposing widespread corruption within the organization. While the controversy forced Blatter to resign and derailed Platini's hopes of becoming FIFA president, both men maintained their innocence throughout the legal proceedings.
Speaking after the verdict, Blatter, 89, expressed his relief. 'It is a great relief for me because it's been going on for ten years,' he told the assembled press, as reported by Reuters. 'And now it's over, and I can breathe.'
Platini, 69, echoed similar sentiments. 'The persecution of FIFA and some Swiss federal prosecutors for 10 years is now over. It is now totally over. And for me, today, my honor has returned, and I am very happy.'
The Swiss Attorney General's Office stated that it would review the court's written judgment before deciding whether to appeal to the Swiss Federal Court, the country's highest legal authority. Prosecutors had initially sought a 20-month suspended jail sentence for both men.
Meanwhile, Platini's legal team has signaled its intention to take legal action against those responsible for the criminal proceedings. 'The Office of the Attorney General has not managed to find a single piece of incriminating evidence for over 10 years,' Platini's lawyer, Dominic Nellen, said in a statement. 'These proceedings were not justified and should never have been conducted.'
Blatter and Platini were originally suspended from football in 2015 due to ethics breaches, with their bans later reduced. With the legal case behind them, the former footballing powerhouses are now considering their next steps, though Platini has ruled out a return to the sport, stating that he is now too old for such ambitions.
Despite their acquittal, the scandal has left an indelible mark on both men's legacies. Blatter, who joined FIFA in 1975 and assumed the presidency in 1998, presided over one of the most contentious periods in the organization's history. Platini, a three-time Ballon d'Or winner and captain of France's victorious 1984 European Championship squad, saw his administrative career come to a sudden halt amid the accusations.
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