Switzerland Today

Hello from Switzerland, where the southwest of the country is expecting the Tour de France this weekend; after a stage finish in Lausanne on Saturday, riders will cross back over the border into the French Alps on Sunday. But today, the sport of the minute is football and its (mis)management.

This content was published on July 8, 2022 - 18:00

3 minutes

As part of the democracy team, I report on the dynamic relationship between citizens and their institutions in Switzerland and abroad. Born in Ireland, I have a BA in European Studies and MA in International Relations. I've been at SWI swissinfo.ch since 2017.

michel platini and the press — © Ti-press

In the news: football kingpins cleared after seven-year saga.

Judges at the Swiss Federal Criminal Court acquitted former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA boss Michel Platini of allegations of corruption and fraud. The court said on Friday they found no proof of wrongdoing in relation to a CHF2 million ($2.05 million) payment made by FIFA to Platini in 2011. The pair said that the payment was for consultancy work done a decade beforehand.
Russia’s Gazprombank announcedit may sell its Swiss banking branch as it explores “potential strategic options” for its business in Switzerland. “These options include, but are not limited to, potential divestment of selected assets or the sale of the business as a whole,” the bank said. The strategic review is expected to last until the end of September and may include a search for potential investors to buy the Zurich-based business.
A group of NGOs filed a criminal complaint against Swiss bank UBS for allegedly helping the former Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) president launder $19 million out of the country. Swiss-based Public Eye, the Platform to Protect Whistle-blowers in Africa, and the UNIS association said on Friday that they had filed the complaint with Swiss federal prosecutors. UBS declined to comment.

FIFA verdict: another own-goal for Swiss public prosecutors?

A good day for Blatter and Platini, a bad day for FIFA and Swiss prosecutors. For the latter, the acquittal (see above) is a “historic embarrassment”, the NZZ writesExternal link: after seven years of inquiries into the suspected systemic corruption in world football, the balance sheet in the courts is paltry, and international opinions of the Attorney General’s Office are “derisive”, the paper says. And it might not be over: if it emerges that the allegations against Platini and Blatter were part of a FIFA-led intrigue that took advantage of Swiss prosecutors, then the reputational damage could get even worse. For FIFA meanwhile, the future is also shaky: after seeing his name dragged through the mud for seven years, and losing out on the FIFA top job as a result, Michel Platini could very likely sue the Zurich-based organisation for millions, legal expert Mark Pieth told the NZZExternal link.

giant mountain artwork — © Keystone/ Valentin Flauraud

Giant girl sprouts from the grass in the Swiss Alps.

Saype strikes again: the French-born artist, who has worked regularly in Switzerland (and on behalf of Switzerland) unveiled today a new giant work in the Alps (see photo). “Vers l’équilibre” (“Towards balance”) can be seen near Villars in the southwestern canton of Vaud – it shows a young girl building a cairn on top of a pile of books. “Cairns are places of orientation which show hikers which way to go,” Saype said in a press release. “It’s a creation with natural elements, that links into my land-art work. I like the poetry of these places in the mountains, where the artwork can interact fully with its surroundings”. The fresco, as with Saype’s other works, was done with bio-degradable paint, and is expected to last until the end of July, at which point it should be washed away by rain.