Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini Reappear in Swiss Court Amid Ongoing Corruption Controversy

Sepp Blatter, the former president of FIFA, alongside Michel Platini, the ex-UEFA chief, is set to return to a Swiss court this Monday for a further assessment of the fraud allegations that led to their downfall in global football.

A specialised appeals court will convene in Muttenz, near Basel, to consider a motion from the Swiss Attorney General’s office (OAG) aimed at reopening the case against Blatter, who will celebrate his 89th birthday on March 10, and Platini, who is 69.

This extensive legal battle began back in 2015 when Blatter resigned from FIFA amidst a major corruption scandal. Central to the issue is a disputed payment of two million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros) that FIFA transferred to Frenchman Platini in 2011 for consultancy work.

In June 2022, both individuals were acquitted by the Swiss Federal Court of various charges, including “disloyal management”, “breach of trust”, and “forgery of securities”.

The court determined that fraud had “not been established with a likelihood bordering on certainty”, thus applying the legal principle that requires any ambiguity to benefit the accused.

The OAG swiftly filed an appeal against this ruling, and the appeal court is scheduled to hear arguments from Monday through Thursday, with a decision expected by March 25.

Both the defence and prosecution concur that Platini did indeed advise Blatter between 1998 and 2002, during Blatter’s initial term as FIFA president. In 1999, the two signed a contract stipulating an annual salary of 300,000 Swiss francs, to be “paid in full by FIFA”.

Blatter and Platini contend that initially, they had reached an oral agreement—lacking witnesses—for an annual payment of one million Swiss francs, although FIFA’s financial situation at the time did not allow for an immediate payout.

In January 2011, “more than eight years after his advisory role had ended”, Platini “sought repayment of two million Swiss francs”, which FIFA subsequently disbursed.

At that particular moment, Blatter was campaigning for re-election as FIFA president, while Platini had risen to become the head of European football. In December 2010, FIFA awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

Prosecutors maintain that this payment was “unjustified”, acquired by “cleverly deceiving” FIFA’s internal oversight mechanisms through misleading statements provided by the two former executives—a critical factor in the fraud allegations.