Swiss prosecutor to drop charge against ex-FIFA boss
Switzerland’s justice authorities have decided to close one of two investigations into the former president of the world football governing body FIFA, Sepp Blatter.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday confirmed reports that it will drop charges against Blatter in connection to TV rights sold to the Caribbean Football Union, according to the Swiss news agency, Keystone-SDA.
However, 84-year old Blatter still faces a second criminal investigation over the controversial payment of CHF2 million ($2.1 million) to Michel Platini, the former president of the Union of European Associations (UEFA).
In 2015, a criminal investigation against Blatter was opened for “suspicion of unfair management and breach of trust.”
The Swiss prosecutors suspected Blatter of having signed a contract “unfavourable to FIFA” with the Caribbean football union, then under control of Jack Warner, who was banned from football for life and indicted for corruption by the justice authorities in the United States.
Under the deal, the Caribbean football union was granted TV rights for the 20101 and 2014 World Cups.
Blatter, FIFA president from 1998 to 2015, currently serves a six-year ban from participating in activities of the world football governing body.
More
The colourful world of Sepp Blatter
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.