Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini acquitted on appeal in FIFA corruption case
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini were acquitted on appeal by a Swiss court on Tuesday, clearing them in a long-running corruption case that derailed their football careers.
Blatter, 89, and Platini, 69, remained silent as the Extraordinary Court of Appeal in Muttenz, near Basel, upheld their 2022 acquittal. Prosecutors had sought suspended 20-month sentences, but all charges—including fraud, disloyal management, and forgery—were dismissed.
After nearly a decade of legal proceedings, the Swiss Supreme Court remains an option for a final appeal, though only on limited legal grounds. The prosecutor’s office said it would review its next steps.
“The persecution by FIFA and some Swiss federal prosecutors for 10 years is now over,” Platini told reporters. “Today my honour is restored, and I’m very happy.”
The case centered on a 2011 payment of two million Swiss francs (€1.8 million) from FIFA to Platini for consultancy work. The pair claimed the sum was part of a verbal “gentlemen’s agreement” from Blatter’s first term as FIFA president, though prosecutors argued it was unjustified and improperly documented.
Blatter resigned in 2015 amid a wider corruption crisis, while Platini’s downfall paved the way for Gianni Infantino to become FIFA president in 2016.
Platini’s lawyer, Dominic Nellen, called for an end to legal action. “Michel Platini must finally be left alone in criminal matters,” he said.
(Source: AFP)
