Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, May 09, 2025

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini acquitted of corruption by Swiss court

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini acquitted of corruption by Swiss court

Mr Blatter and Mr Platini were on trial for corruption, following an investigation by the United States government which uncovered a payment of close to £2m made by FIFA to Mr Platini. Prosecutors said it was unlawful, but the pair said it was pre-arranged.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini have been acquitted of corruption by a Swiss court.

Criminal proceedings were launched into the pair after a payment of two million Swiss francs (£1.7m) from FIFA to Mr Platini was uncovered in 2015.

Mr Blatter, 86, was the head of FIFA - the world football body - at the time, while Mr Platini, 67, ran UEFA, the football executive for Europe.

Speaking following the verdict, Mr Platini said: "I want to express my happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally been done after seven years of lies and manipulation."

He added: "My fight is a fight against injustice. I won a first game."

Mr Blatter said: "I'm not speaking about FIFA, I'm not speaking about corruption, I'm speaking about me.

"I have done nothing wrong. I am clean with my conscience, I am clean in my spirit."

The payment in question was made in 2011 following what the two men said was a "gentleman’s agreement" made in 1998. Prosecutors said this version of events was an "invention".

It was claimed that, while a technical director for FIFA between 1998 and 2002, Mr Platini was paid 300,000 Swiss francs (£118,000 at the time) per year.

He could not be given more due to financial troubles at FIFA, so it was agreed the rest of the one million francs (£400,000) salary would be handed over at a later date.

Mr Blatter approved the transfer of funds from FIFA to Mr Platini while campaigning to be re-elected the head of the world football body a decade later.

Mr Platini was seen to hold sway over the European caucus of votes in the competition against Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar.

The US government launched a wide-ranging investigation into bribery, fraud and money laundering at FIFA in 2015 which led to Mr Blatter standing down.

Both he and Mr Platini were banned from football for eight years in 2015, but this was later reduced.

Mr Platini claimed the investigation was a deliberate plot to prevent him from becoming FIFA's new leader.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×