25.03.2025 17:20
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini appeared in court again in Switzerland, 2.5 years after their first trial regarding allegations of "corruption" within FIFA. The former heads of football, who were acquitted of various charges involving more than 2 million dollars, were also found not guilty in the second trial.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini, who were tried in the financial irregularities case at FIFA, were acquitted in the second trial at the Swiss court. In the case opened by Swiss federal prosecutors alleging that more than 2 million dollars were paid irregularly, Blatter and Platini were cleared of charges of fraud, forgery, mismanagement, and misuse of funds.
APPEAL WAS UNSUCCESSFUL
Blatter and Platini were also acquitted in the first trial held in 2022. However, the Swiss Attorney General appealed the court's decision, requesting a reevaluation of the sentence. The prosecution had sought a 20-month prison sentence (with a two-year suspension) for both football figures. However, in the second trial held in the cantonal court, three judges ruled that Blatter and Platini were innocent. The 89-year-old Blatter, who listened to the decision with great attention, maintained a calm demeanor, while Platini followed the proceedings with his arms crossed.
PROSECUTORS MAY APPEAL
After the acquittal decision, Platini's lawyer Dominic Nellen stated, "Michel Platini must now be completely exonerated. The Swiss Attorney General must understand that this case has definitively failed." The second acquittal decision for Blatter and Platini means that the legal process is largely completed. However, it is still unclear whether the prosecutors will file an appeal to the Swiss Supreme Court.
THE CASE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 10 YEARS
Blatter and Platini have maintained their innocence since the very beginning of the case. During the court proceedings, they claimed that the payment in question was made to Platini to cover a salary payment that was not made during the period he worked as an advisor at FIFA from 1998 to 2002. Blatter had approved a payment of 2 million Swiss francs (currently 2.21 million dollars) to Platini in 2011. However, this payment emerged as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation into FIFA in 2015. Following the public revelation of the case, the FIFA Ethics Committee banned both individuals from football in 2015. While Platini's ban ended in 2019, Blatter will remain banned from the football world until 2028.
BLATTER AND PLATINI HAVE BEEN CUT OFF FROM FOOTBALL
Although the court process concluded in favor of Blatter and Platini, both figures have no chance of returning to football. Platini, once considered the strongest candidate for the FIFA Presidency, could not realize this dream due to the corruption allegations against him. Blatter, on the other hand, was associated with many corruption scandals during his tenure at FIFA and received a ban from football until 2028 due to executive bonuses in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.