Former FIFA and UEFA Presidents Acquitted After 10-Year Legal Battle
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini have been cleared of corruption charges by a Swiss court, marking the end of a decade-long legal battle. The two football executives, once among the most powerful figures in global football, had been accused of fraud related to a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.2 million) payment made by FIFA to Platini in 2011.
The ruling was delivered by the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in Muttenz, near Basel. The court upheld the previous 2022 verdict that had also acquitted Blatter and Platini, citing insufficient evidence to prove wrongdoing.
The Case: What Was the Accusation?
The charges stemmed from a payment made by FIFA to Michel Platini in 2011. Swiss prosecutors claimed that Blatter had unlawfully authorized the payment and that both men had misled FIFA about its purpose.
According to prosecutors, Blatter and Platini falsely claimed that FIFA owed Platini money for his advisory work between 1998 and 2002. They argued that there was no written contract supporting this claim and that the payment was fraudulent.
However, Blatter and Platini insisted that they had an oral agreement regarding the payment and that the money was legitimately owed to Platini for his past services.
Court Rules in Favor of Blatter and Platini
After reviewing the case, the Swiss court ruled in favor of Blatter and Platini, stating that there was no concrete evidence to support the fraud charges.
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The court found that an oral agreement between the two football executives could not be ruled out.
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It acknowledged that Blatter and Platini had remained consistent in their explanations of the payment.
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The court applied the legal principle of “in cases of doubt, rule in favor of the accused.”
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It determined that neither Blatter nor Platini acted with fraudulent intent or for personal enrichment.
With the verdict in their favor, Platini can now have the money, which had been confiscated by Swiss authorities, returned to him.
Reuters / Stefan Wermuth
Platini: “My Honour Has Returned”
Following the court ruling, Michel Platini expressed his relief and satisfaction. He strongly criticized FIFA and Swiss prosecutors, saying that he had been unfairly targeted for the past decade.
“The persecution by FIFA and some Swiss federal prosecutors for 10 years is now over,” Platini told reporters. “It is now totally over. And for me, today, my honour has returned, and I am very happy.”
Platini suggested that the case had been politically motivated and was intended to prevent him from becoming FIFA president. He claimed that his reputation had been unfairly damaged and that he had received messages of support from more than 10,000 people.
However, now at 69 years old, he confirmed that he had no intention of returning to football.
Blatter: “I Can Breathe Again”
Sepp Blatter, who is now 89 years old, also expressed relief after the court’s decision. He described the case as a long and exhausting ordeal that had weighed heavily on him for years.
“It is a great relief for me because it’s been going on for ten years. It’s like a sword of Damocles hanging over my head,” Blatter said. “And now it’s over, and I can breathe.”
Blatter, who was once the most powerful man in world football, was forced to step down as FIFA president in 2015 following the allegations. Although he has been cleared of the fraud charges, he has remained largely absent from the football scene.
Reuters / Stefan Wermuth
The Impact on Their Careers
The corruption case had a devastating impact on both Blatter and Platini’s careers.
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In 2015, FIFA banned both men from football for ethics violations, ending Blatter’s long reign at FIFA and preventing Platini from succeeding him as president.
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Although their bans were later reduced, the scandal tarnished their reputations and forced them out of football governance.
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Platini’s dream of leading FIFA was shattered, and Blatter’s legacy was overshadowed by controversy.
Prosecutors Consider Further Appeal
Despite the latest verdict, Swiss prosecutors have not ruled out another appeal. The Swiss attorney general’s office has stated that it will review the court’s written judgment before deciding whether to escalate the case to the Swiss Federal Court, the highest legal authority in the country.
However, with the lack of strong evidence, legal experts believe that another appeal may not be successful.
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