In anticipation of his upcoming 89th birthday, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter finds himself back in a courtroom on Monday for a retrial in a long-standing case that has spanned nearly a decade. Alongside him is beloved French soccer icon Michel Platini. Both Blatter and Platini were previously cleared of allegations of fraud, forgery, misappropriation of funds, and mismanagement by three federal judges in July 2022. These charges were connected to a FIFA payment of 2 million Swiss francs made to Platini.
The investigation, first uncovered nearly seven years prior, led to the removal of both figures from their leadership positions at FIFA and UEFA. This also thwarted Platini’s aspirations to become the FIFA president, a role once influenced by Blatter. Despite the acquittal, the Swiss attorney general’s office opted to appeal the initial verdicts, prompting a new set of legal proceedings commencing Monday in the town of Muttenz, located near Basel. The verdict from three cantonal judges is expected on March 25.
Throughout the ordeal, Blatter and Platini have steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the payment was part of a verbal agreement intended as compensation for Platini’s advisory role to Blatter during the latter’s initial presidential tenure from 1998 to 2002. Prosecutors are seeking a suspended 20-month sentence for each, conditional upon a two-year period.
The crux of the issue traces back to Blatter’s tenure as FIFA’s leader in 2011 when Platini received payment, at that time a FIFA vice president poised to take over UEFA. The transaction surfaced four years later amid a larger corruption scandal engulfing FIFA in May 2015. This investigation attracted attention from U.S. federal authorities, who disclosed a broad probe into international soccer, leading to dawn raids and extensive searches at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich.
The unfolding saga derailed the anticipated leadership transition within FIFA, resulting in both Blatter and Platini facing suspensions and subsequent bans from their respective roles in the organization by the ethics committee. The fallout effectively ousted Blatter prematurely and eliminated Platini from the UEFA presidency and FIFA presidential candidacy by the February 2016 election. Instead, Gianni Infantino emerged victorious, previously aligned with Platini as UEFA’s general secretary.
As both men now approach the new trial, aged 88 and 69 respectively, it marks a return to the public eye since their last active roles in soccer in 2015. The retrial has been scheduled to span four days until Thursday, with additional days set aside if necessary on March 11 and 12, with March 10 conveniently left idle, coinciding with Blatter’s birthday. The proceedings are shifted to a regional courthouse in Muttenz, diverging from the federal venue in Bellinzona due to a federal ruling secured by Platini for judge recusals.
Exploring the payment origin, Platini played a pivotal role in Blatter’s ascent to FIFA’s presidency in 1998, later being appointed an advisor with an annual salary of 300,000 Swiss francs until Blatter’s reelection in 2002. Both claim there was a mutual understanding for later compensation of what FIFA couldn’t initially afford. Prosecutors allege Platini started pursuing the additional amount amounting to 1 million Swiss francs annually at the beginning of 2010. Motivated by FIFA’s “golden parachute” deals for departing employees, Platini sent a bill to FIFA in January 2011 and received payment shortly thereafter, around the same time as the contentious World Cup host selections for Russia and Qatar — both under Swiss investigation since FIFA’s criminal complaint in November 2014 regarding fiscal misconduct.
The prosecution maintains the payment unjustly enriched Platini at FIFA’s expense, echoing arguments in the November 2021 indictment. Platini has disclosed his financial obligations, declaring and taxing these amounts. FIFA has initiated separate civil litigation to reclaim not only the 2 million francs but also interest and related social charges.
The intricate legal journey has traversed various sports and civil judicial bodies, finally reaching a breakthrough at the Bellinzona federal criminal court. Yet, Blatter and Platini faced setbacks at every earlier stage including FIFA’s ethics and appeals committees, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the Swiss Federal Tribunal. Platini pursued his case further into the European Court of Human Rights, but the appeal was deemed inadmissible in a March 2020 ruling.
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