FIFA has seen the back of Platini and Blatter, but now says it wants its money back.
Keystone / Michael Probst
World football’s governing body, FIFA, has launched a legal bid in Switzerland to recover a CHF2 million ($2 million) “undue payment” made by its former president Joseph “Sepp” Blatter to ex-vice president Michel Platini.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
Español
es
Demandan a Blatter y Platini por 2 millones de francos
The payment was conducted between the two former FIFA executives in 2011 and was instrumental in the duo receiving bans from football activities four years later. Both men have repeatedly denied that they did anything wrong.
Last month, FIFA’s governance committee called for the body to take legal action on the payment, noting that the statute of limitations on the alleged offence would expire at the end of the year.
In a statementExternal link, FIFA said it was “duty-bound” to attempt to recover the money after the Swiss Federal Court had already ruled that it had constituted an “undue payment”.
“If and when successfully recovered, these funds (together with interest) will be fully channelled back into football development, which is where the money should have gone in the first place,” the statement added.
Swiss prosecutors have also opened a criminal investigation covering Blatter’s tenure as FIFA president, which is ongoing but has yet to produce any charges.
FIFA has shown in the past that it is willing to go to the courts to claw back ill-gotten gains from others. In 2016, it issued a writ in New York claiming tens of millions of dollars in damages from individuals and entities.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
How ‘nearshoring’ is driving Swiss companies to move to Mexico
This content was published on
The Ticino cantonal criminal court in Lugano has found a priest guilty of multiple sexual assault and sexual offences with minors. The man was sentenced to a conditional 18-month prison term.
Swiss disappointed by failed plastics agreement in Geneva
This content was published on
Switzerland will not get its Geneva agreement against plastic pollution. Chief negotiator Felix Wertli spoke on Friday morning of his delegation's disappointment.
Swiss study examines why women and men choose different professions
This content was published on
According to a new study, the fact that there are still prevalently female and male professions is down to the nature of the job.
Swiss president unveils new theme park dedicated to Saint Bernards
This content was published on
The new Barryland theme park in Martigny, south-western Switzerland, was officially opened on Thursday in the presence of Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter.
Swiss court rejects diplomats’ daughter’s request for permanent residence
This content was published on
The 17-year-old daughter of a diplomatic couple working in Switzerland is not entitled to a residence permit, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled.
Swiss hospitals urge faster recognition of foreign medical qualifications
This content was published on
Foreign doctors wishing to work in a Swiss hospital have to wait several months for their diplomas to be recognised, a situation the hospital association H+ calls 'untenable'.
Switzerland to introduce code of conduct for collecting referendum signatures
This content was published on
Commercial collectors of signatures for initiatives and referendums could be given a legally non-binding code of conduct. This proposal comes from the Federal Chancellery following the discovery of thousands of falsified signatures.
Priest in Switzerland accused of sexually assaulting minors
This content was published on
The trial of a priest accused of sexually abusing nine people opened on Thursday in the Ticino cantonal criminal court in Lugano, southern Switzerland.
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.
Read more
More
Blatter vows to sue FIFA over lost reputation and watch collection
This content was published on
Blatter was deposed as FIFA president in 2015 and later banned from football-related activities for six years. The Swiss Attorney General is also investigating the 83-year-old Swiss national for allegedly enriching himself illegally during his time as the head of football’s world governing body. But Blatter continues to fight his corner, telling both the Swiss…
FIFA pressed to sue Blatter and Platini by own governance body
This content was published on
Whilst president of FIFA, Blatter authorised the payment to Platini in 2011, which was latter labeled “disloyal” for breaching FIFA’s code of ethics. Both men were later banned from the game for significant periods and fined, although they both deny any wrongdoing. Swiss prosecutors have also opened a criminal investigation covering Blatter’s tenure as FIFA…
FIFA slaps former South American football head with CHF1 million bribery fine
This content was published on
World football governing body FIFA has banned the former Paraguayan football president from the sport for life and fined him CHF1 million for bribery.
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.