KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, once the two most powerful men in world football, have been cleared for a second time in the saga of the infamous “disloyal payment” of 2m Swiss francs when they were in their pomp as presidents of FIFA and UEFA.

The pair were acquitted in July 2022 by the Swiss federal criminal court in Bellinzona over accusations of fraud in 2011 but prosecutors appealed. Now an appeal court in Muttenz near Basel has upheld the original verdict.

In fact the entire appeal process was a mess in itself: the original hearing had to be scrapped after Platini complained to the federal court that senior magistrate Olivier Thormann had been the man who, in a previous role as prosecutor, had launched criminal proceedings against the two men back in 2015.

Both Blatter, now 89, and Platini, 69, had always denied wrongdoing and may now consider counter-suing for aggravated damages over the vain appeal. Originally prosecutors had brought charges of “suspicion of fraud, unfair management, breach of trust and forgery” and sought 20-month sentences with two years probation for each man.

Platini, former goalscoring inspiration of France and later national coach, said he believed his honour had been restored. He added: “The persecution of FIFA and some Swiss federal prosecutors for 10 years is now over. It is now totally over. And for me, today, my honour has returned and I am very happy.”

His lawyer, Dominic Nellen, said: “I am pleased to note that the Court of Appeal has also fully confirmed my client’s innocence. After a thorough examination of the files, the testimonies and the evidence, the court found that there were no criminally relevant actions. There is not a single piece of incriminating evidence to support the prosecution’s indictment.”

Presidency ambition

Nellen said the proceedings had had “massive personal and professional consequences” for Platini and prevented his election as FIFA president in 2016.

He added: “The Office of the Attorney General has not managed to find a single piece of incriminating evidence for over 10 years. These proceedings were not justified and should never have been conducted. After the failure of the criminal proceedings, the defence will now analyse how to take legal action against those responsible for the criminal proceedings.”

Blatter had been the all-powerful president of world football federation FIFA for 17 years while Platini, one of his vice-presidents and also supremo for eight years of European governing body UEFA when they were placed under investigation and expelled from the game in September 2015.

The case

At issue was the infamous “disloyal payment” of 2m Swiss francs paid by FIFA on the authorisation of Blatter to Platini in February 2011. Platini had worked for FIFA between 1998 and 2002 as Blatter’s so-called ‘football counsellor’ with an annual salary of 300,000 Swiss francs. This was the most FIFA could afford as it emerged from a financial crisis following the collapse of its marketing and media partners.

Blatter told the original trial that they had reached a “gentleman’s agreement” that the remainder of Platini’s one million per year salary would be settled at a more favourable financial time. Platini eventually submitted an invoice for the outstanding sum in 2010, triggering payment the following year.

The payment emerged following a the FIFAGate investigation launched by the United States Department of Justice into bribery, fraud and money-laundering at FIFA in 2015 which prompted Blatter’s resignation.

Later that year both men were suspended and then banned for eight years over the payment, although their bans were later reduced. Platini, who also lost his job as UEFA president following the ban, claimed the case had been a deliberate attempt to block his pursuit of the FIFA presidency in 2015.

Blatter denial

Blatter had told the appeal court: “When you talk about falsehoods, lies and deceptions, that is not me. That has never happened in my life. We had principles in my family – we only take the money we have earned . . . I am innocent.”

The Swiss Office of the Attorney-General undertook 25 separate investigations arising out of the FIFA financial and World Cup awards scandals.

The only other major Swiss case brought to court concerned a mystery payment to the German organising committee of the 2006 World Cup. A case against four former senior DFB officials collapsed because of time limitation regulations.

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