Swiss eye ex-UEFA head Michel Platini in FIFA probe
Swiss federal prosecutors are targeting former European football head Michel Platini in a widening of their probe into a CHF2 million ($2.1 million) payment arranged by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said on Friday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi, Reuters
Swiss prosecutors have been probing Blatter over accusations he arranged a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.06 million) from FIFA to then UEFA president Platini in February 2011.
Blatter and Platini, who captained France to victory in the 1984 European Championship on home soil, were both banned in 2016 from soccer for six years over the payment, made with Blatter’s approval for work done a decade earlier. Both have denied any wrongdoing.
The OAG on Friday said that in May it had widened its probe to cover other aspects of the matter and to investigate three additional people, including Platini.
“The criminal proceedings have been extended against former UEFA President Michel Platini on suspicion of participation in disloyal management and on suspicion of falsification of documents,” the OAG said in an emailed statement on Friday, noting the presumption of innocence applied.
Platini said he was not aware of the subject of the investigation and had considered the matter already closed.
“After five years, it is quite possible that FIFA will continue to harass me with complaints with the sole aim of keeping me out of football and smearing my reputation. FIFA’s best defence against me at the moment is to attack me,” he said in an emailed statement.
World soccer’s ruling body FIFA in December filed claims in Swiss courts seeking to recover the two million Swiss francs, which it said were paid inappropriately.
Swiss federal prosecutors in May ended another investigation into Blatter’s deals with the Caribbean Football Union to sell World Cup broadcasting rights and on Friday said an appeal had been filed against that discontinuation, to be decided by Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court’s appeals board.
(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; additional reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Ed Osmond)
More
More
FIFA urges Swiss authorities to press ahead with Blatter investigation
This content was published on
The international football federation made arguments in favour of an investigation, after prosecutors decided to abandon part of the proceedings.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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
Federal court blocks Lauber’s attempt to rejoin FIFA case
This content was published on
Switzerland’s top court has upheld a previous ruling that Lauber’s closed-door meetings with FIFA’s head had raised the appearance of bias.
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…
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.