Judges at the Federal Criminal Court have acquitted former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA head Michel Platini of allegations of corruption and fraud.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Agencies/swissinfo.ch/dos
Español
es
Tribunal penal suizo absuelve a Blatter y a Platini
The judges said on Friday they found no proof of wrongdoing in relation to a CHF2 million ($2.05 million) payment by FIFA to Platini in 2011, when Blatter was still president of the Zurich-based organisation.
Prosecutors had asked the court to impose suspended 20-month prison sentences on both men, and to make them repay CHF2.23 million to FIFA.
Throughout the trial, both men denied charges that the payment was unjustified, saying it was a back-dated salary for consulting work done by Platini between 1998 and 2002. It was based on a “gentlemen’s agreement”, Blatter previously said. Prosecutors claimed this two-decade-old oral agreement between the pair was an “invention”.
In a statement following the verdict on Friday, Platini expressed his “happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally been done after seven years of lies and manipulation”. He also referred to the verdict as a “first game”, and that he would be taking further action in his “quest for truth”.
Long process
The Swiss investigation into the suspect payment was launched by the Office of the Attorney General in 2015, amid a series of scandals and an American-led inquiry into corruption at FIFA. A formal indictment was filed in November 2021.
The investigations led to the 2015 resignation of 86-year-old Blatter, who had been head of FIFA for 17 years. Platini, 67, also lost his role as president of UEFA, as well as his chances of succeeding Blatter at FIFA. Another Swiss, Gianni Infantino, was elected to the post in 2016.
A FIFA ethics investigation banned both men from football for eight years, although this ban was later reduced to six years.
On Friday, Blatter and Platini were awarded legal costs of CHF80,000 and CHF140,000 respectively. Blatter also accepted a payment of CHF20,000 as compensation for moral damages. Platini refused a similar offer, but he will now be able to reclaim the CHF2 million payment, which had been frozen.
More
More
Why Switzerland remains at the heart of corruption in sport
This content was published on
Switzerland is home to many international sports federations – and scandals. We examine what’s gone wrong and what needs to change.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Porrentruy mayor comments on Swiss pool ban controversy
This content was published on
The mayor of the Swiss town of Porrentruy, which has been in the headlines in neighbouring France after restricting access to a pool to locals after a spate of anti-social behaviour, says he has received much support in recent days.
Swiss universities to release multilingual AI programme
This content was published on
This summer researchers at Swiss universities will make available a large language model (LLM), an AI programme trained on vast amounts of data, developed on public infrastructure.
This content was published on
After a one-year test phase, Zurich's cantonal police are introducing an online police station. Demand is high and the response from the public has been positive.
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
Ex-FIFA and UEFA bosses charged by Swiss justice
This content was published on
Former top football officials Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been accused of fraud and other offences by Swiss prosecutors.
This content was published on
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA President Michel Platini will stand before the Federal Criminal Court to face corruption charges.
World football’s ex-leaders Blatter and Platini on trial for fraud
This content was published on
The trial is underway in a Swiss court of the former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, and ex-UEFA chief, Michel Platini, accused of corruption.
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.