Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his vice Michel Platini has been acquitted of corruption at Switzerland's federal criminal court on 8th June 2022 following a two-week trial that ended on 22nd June. Prosecutors acquitted Blatter on charges of unlawfully funneling 2 million Swiss francs ($2.06 million) of FIFA funds to Platini, a former France national team captain, and manager in 2011. Blatter headed world football's governing body for 17 years. Platini, a former president of UEFA, hoped to succeed him. The prosecution sought a suspended sentence of one year and eight months for both men. Platini would have also been fined for the original payment plus taxes.
"I want to express my happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally been done after 7 years of lies and manipulation," added Platini, who had been banned from soccer in 2015 along with Blatter for an initial eight-year period over the alleged impropriety. The time period was later reduced.
The two former football bosses claimed no wrongdoing throughout the trial which ran from June 8 to 22.
"The truth has come to light," he added. "I kept saying it: my fight is a fight against injustice.
The case meant Blatter ended his reign as FIFA president in disgrace and it wrecked Platini's hopes of succeeding him after he was banned from football when the affair came to light. Blatter, 86, had said the two-million franc payment followed a “gentlemen’s agreement” between the pair when he asked Platini to be his technical adviser in 1998.
Platini, 67, worked as a consultant between 1998 and 2002 with an annual salary of 300,000 Swiss francs — the most FIFA could afford because of money troubles the organization had at the time, Blatter has told the court. The rest of Platini’s one million per year salary was to be settled at a later date, Blatter said.
The senior judge, Josephine Contu Albrizio, said a verbal agreement between Blatter and Platini seemed credible, as did the Frenchman’s seeing his market value at 1 million per year due to his status in the game.
It also seemed implausible that Platini would have worked only on the basis of a written contract that paid him such a paltry sum, the judge told the court.
It was also credible that Platini sought the extra money only in 2010 as he did not need the money immediately.
The payment emerged following a huge investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Justice into bribery, fraud, and money laundering at FIFA in 2015, which triggered Blatter’s resignation.
Both officials were banned in 2015 from soccer for eight years over the payment, although their bans were later reduced. read more.
Platini, who also lost his job as UEFA president following the ban, said the affair was a deliberate attempt to thwart his attempt to become FIFA president in 2015.
Platini’s former general secretary at UEFA, Gianni Infantino, entered the FIFA race and won the election in 2016.
