Joseph Blatter, the man who ran the organizing body, got for football For 17 years before his expulsion over a scandal, he was acquitted of criminal charges by Switzerland’s top criminal court.
The judicial ruling showed that the chief FIFA The former and his most prominent successor, Michel Platini, are not guilty of fraud, embezzlement and forgery over the 2 million Swiss francs ($2.1 million) paid to Platini years after he stopped working as a consultant to the World Cup organizing body.
Both men said that the amount satisfies a verbal contract between them in exchange for the services rendered by Platini, but it was delayed in part due to the federation’s dangerous financial situation, and after the two men were once the most powerful men in football, they were banned from practicing sports in December 2015, which He spoiled Platini’s chances of becoming president of FIFA.
“The truth came to light during this trial, and I deeply thank the judges of the court for the independence of their decision,” Platini said in a statement following the ruling.
Blatter, 86, argued before the trial that the money was a “paid wages owed” to Platini, specifically declared it as such, and “was billed accordingly and approved by all the responsible authorities in FIFA”, and did not His spokesperson immediately responds to a letter to comment on the ruling.
Platini received compensation of 142,893 francs, and returned to him approximately 2.23 million francs in an account that had been confiscated, and Blatter received compensation of 82,198 francs, and additional compensation of 20,000 francs.
Failed argument
Swiss prosecutors have attempted, but failed, to present a convincing case that the late payment of the legendary France international midfielder, who at the time was the president of UEFA, was “made without legal basis”.
Despite winning the trial on Friday, Blatter is still subject to a separate ban until 2028 related to “extraordinary bonuses” worth CHF23 million earned during the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
During the trial in the eastern city of Bellinzona, Platini criticized the way FIFA treated him, and referred to this in his statement after the trial. He said, “In this case, there are guilty persons who did not appear before this trial, so trust me, we will meet again .. because I will not give up and I will do my best in my search for the truth.”