FIFA trial in Bellinzona – Blatter and Platini: the deep fall of two successful people – News

The former football officials have to answer to the Federal Criminal Court for suspected fraud.

There was a time when the world was at Michel Platini’s feet: in the 1980s he was one of the best footballers in the world and became European champions with France. After that, things only seemed to be going up for him as a football official too: he became president of the European football association UEFA.

Sepp Blatter’s career is just as amazing: the Valaisian presided over the world football association FIFA for almost 20 years and was frequented by the powerful of the world.

charge of fraud

But now the former FIFA President and former UEFA President have to face the judges – and are no longer surrounded by football stars and heads of state, but by their lawyers. The 86-year-old Blatter and the 66-year-old Platini are accused of fraud and embezzlement. It is about a controversial payment of 2 million Swiss francs from 2011.

So the controversial payment goes back to a time when the two were still at the center of power in world football. As early as 1998, Blatter hired Platini as a consultant and paid him handsomely with 300,000 francs a year. In 2010, Platini then sent FIFA an invoice for CHF 2 million, allegedly for consulting services that had not yet been paid for. As FIFA President, Blatter paid his companion the millions.

Investigations by the Attorney General

The federal prosecutor had come across the conspicuous payment during their various investigations into the world football association. She sued because FIFA claimed she had been harmed by the payment. So the accusation is that Michel Platini enriched himself and Sepp Blatter encouraged it.

The judges at the Federal Criminal Court will have to clarify in the coming days whether the payment was justified and what the real reason was. Also of interest is the question of whether someone within FIFA drew the attention of the federal prosecutor to the payment to Platini.

The role of Infantino

So the current FIFA President Gianni Infantino could have had an interest in it – after all it was he who benefited from the fall of Blatter and Platini. However, Infantino denies being involved.

The judicial investigations had drastic consequences for Blatter and Platini: they were banned by world football’s governing body and had to give up their offices. Their great careers came to an abrupt end.

Difficult rehabilitation

They now want to prove their innocence all the more committed and fight for their good reputation. They, who have been accompanied by success for so long, want to redeem themselves. But they will hardly regain the power they had and the social recognition they knew.

The judgment of the Federal Criminal Court is announced for July 8th.