Zurich prosecutor drops FIFA museum proceedings against Sepp Blatter

FIFA had claimed that the Zurich-based FIFA Museum, opened in 2016, had resulted in huge financial expense that would have been better spent on developing football elsewhere. © Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Zurich’s public prosecutor has dismissed legal proceedings initiated against former FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, accused of criminal mismanagement of the local FIFA Museum.

FIFA, world football’s Zurich-based governing body, filed a criminal complaint with the Zurich cantonal authorities in December 2020 aimed at “former management and companies appointed by them”. This includes Blatter, who spearheaded the Zurich football museum project as “a meeting place for [football’s] millions of fans”, in his own words.

The complaint accused Blatter of wasting CHF500 million ($564 million) on the football museum.

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Swiss public radio, SRF, reportedExternal link on Tuesday that proceedings against Blatter had been dismissed without charge.

“The case is so clear that no other judgment was to be expected,” Blatter told the media in a statement.

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The investigation did not confirm the suspicion of a breach of duty in the sense of improper management, the Zurich public prosecutor’s media office declared.

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FIFA had claimed that the Zurich-based FIFA Museum, opened in 2016, had resulted in huge financial expense that would have been better spent on developing football elsewhere.

The museum cost $140 million to refurbish a building in downtown Zurich and a $360 million rental agreement with building owner Swiss Life through 2045.