BELLINZONA: The long-awaited trial of former world football supremos Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini has kicked off in Bellinzona, Switzerland.

Blatter was all-powerful president of world federation FIFA and Platini one of his vice-presidents and boss of European governing body UEFA when they were placed under investigation and expelled from the game in September 2015.

The last time the two old friends turned rivals met was on September 7, 2020, when Platini was questioned at the headquarters of the Swiss public prosecutor in Bern.

They are accused over the infamous “disloyal payment” of 2m Swiss francs paid by FIFA on the authorisation of Blatter to Platini in February 2011.

Blatter, 86, and Platini, 66, regularly exchanged comments on the first day of their trial for “suspicion of fraud, unfair management, breach of trust and forgery.”

The defendants, who face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, deny all charges and insist that the money was a long-delayed payments owed to Platini by FIFA for his work on its behalf between 1998 and 2002.

Blatter had been scheduled to make an ooening statement but this was postponed for 24 hours by agreement with the court after he complained of heart pains.

Earlier, lawyers for Blatter and Platini failed to persuade the court both to move the trial to a local court or to dismiss FIFA’s civil claim to reclaim the 2m francs.

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