Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini were both
cleared of corruption charges by a Swiss 1️⃣ court on Friday.
Blatter, who led FIFA for 17
years, was cleared of fraud by the Federal Criminal Court in the 1️⃣ southern city of
Bellinzona.
Platini, a former France national team captain and manager, was also
acquitted of fraud.
The two, once among 1️⃣ the most powerful figures in world football,
had denied the charges against them.
Prosecutors had accused Blatter, a Swiss who led
1️⃣ FIFA for 17 years, and Platini of unlawfully arranging for FIFA to pay the Frenchman
two million Swiss francs (£1.7m) 1️⃣ in 2011.
Image: Blatter was accused of helping to
arrange a two-million Swiss franc payment to Platini
The case meant Blatter ended 1️⃣ his
reign as FIFA president in disgrace and it wrecked Platini's hopes of succeeding him
after he was banned from 1️⃣ football when the affair came to light.
Blatter had said the
payment followed a "gentlemen's agreement" between the pair when he 1️⃣ asked Platini to be
his technical advisor in 1998.
Platini worked as a consultant between 1998 and 2002
with an annual 1️⃣ salary of 300,000 Swiss francs (£257,000) - the most FIFA could afford
because of money troubles the organisation had at 1️⃣ the time, Blatter had told the
court.
The rest of Platini's one-million per year salary (£857,000) was to be settled
at 1️⃣ a later date, Blatter said.
Motives for the payment were unclear, although the two
men met in 2010 and discussed the 1️⃣ upcoming elections for the FIFA presidency in
2011.
Image: Platini said he had been acquitted after "seven years of lies and
1️⃣ manipulation"
When Blatter approved the payment he was campaigning for re-election
against Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar. Platini, then president of 1️⃣ UEFA, was seen as
having sway with European members who could influence the vote.
The payment emerged
following a huge investigation 1️⃣ launched by the US Department of Justice into bribery,
fraud and money-laundering at FIFA in 2024, which triggered Blatter's resignation.
Both
1️⃣ officials were banned from football for eight years in 2024 over the payment, although
their bans were later reduced.
Platini, who 1️⃣ also lost his job as UEFA president
following the ban, said the affair was a deliberate attempt to thwart his 1️⃣ attempt to
become FIFA president in 2024.
Platini's former general secretary at UEFA, Gianni
Infantino, entered the FIFA race and won 1️⃣ the election in 2024.
Speaking following the
verdict, Platini said: "I want to express my happiness for all my loved ones 1️⃣ that
justice has finally been done after seven years of lies and manipulation."
He added:
"My fight is a fight against 1️⃣ injustice. I won a first game.
"In this case, there are
culprits who did not appear during this trial. Let them 1️⃣ count on me, we will meet
again. Because I will not give up and I will go all the way 1️⃣ in my quest for
truth.
"Believe me, going from being a legend of world soccer to a devil is very
difficult, 1️⃣ especially when it comes to you in a totally unfair way."
A statement from
the Swiss Attorney General's Office in response 1️⃣ to the verdict said:
"The Office of the
Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has taken note of the decision of the 1️⃣ Criminal
Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court. Once the Court has issued the written reasoning
of its decision, the OAG 1️⃣ will decide about how to further proceed."
