Blatter and Platini Face Swiss Court Again Over Corruption Allegations

TDT | Manama

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The former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and football legend Michel Platini stepped back into a Swiss courtroom in Muttenz, near Basel, to face fraud charges tied to a controversial 2-million Swiss franc payment. Having followed football governance for years, this has grown into a saga that’s far from over. Here’s what’s happening as the latest chapter unfolds.

A Revived Legal Battle

The duo was cleared in 2022 by a lower Swiss court after a seven-year probe into the 2011 payment from FIFA to Platini, then UEFA president. That acquittal isn’t sticking, though—the Swiss federal prosecutor appealed, and now the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court is taking it up. The prosecution’s October 2022 filing demands the original ruling be scrapped, alleging Blatter and Platini misled FIFA staff about the payment’s legitimacy.

The indictment claims they spun a tale that FIFA owed Platini the $2.22 million for advisory work—a story built on “repeated untruthful claims,” per the 2022 charges. The stakes are high: prosecutors want a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, for both men.

The Payment That Shook Football

This all stems from a 2011 transaction that derailed Platini’s path to possibly replace Blatter at FIFA’s helm. Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years until his 2015 exit amid a broader corruption scandal, calls it a “gentlemen’s agreement.” The 2022 judge bought that defense, citing doubts about the fraud claims, but the prosecution’s not letting it go. Both were banned from football in 2015 by FIFA’s ethics committee—originally for eight years, later cut back—over this very deal.

The fallout was seismic. Platini, a three-time European Footballer of the Year, saw his FIFA ambitions collapse, while Blatter’s reign ended in disgrace. Now 88 and 69 respectively, they’re back in the dock defending their names.

Confidence Amid the Storm

“The 2022 court said the contract with Platini was legit, and I expect this to hold,” Blatter claimed last week. “This appeal is nonsense—I’m an honest man.” He’s framing it as a “witch hunt,” a stance he’s held since the scandal broke. Platini’s camp echoes that confidence. His lawyer, Dominic Nellen, said, “The payment was lawful, as the first court found. My client’s calm—he’ll be acquitted again.”

They’ve got reason to feel steady—the 2022 ruling leaned on their version of events. Still, the prosecution’s push keeps the pressure on until the verdict lands, expected March 25.

What’s at Stake

This isn’t just about jail time—those suspended sentences wouldn’t see them behind bars unless they slip up again. It’s about legacy. Blatter ran football’s biggest body for nearly two decades; Platini was a French icon turned power broker. A conviction could cement their fall from grace, while another clearance might quiet the critics. For now, Muttenz is ground zero for a case that’s kept football’s corridors whispering for over a decade.