Blatter and Platini may receive suspended sentences for corruption
Former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and former UEFA Chief Michel Platini may be sentenced to 20 months on probation in a case concerning an illegal payment in 2011.
Photo: Klearchos Kapoutsis, CC BY 2.0 and Marcello Casal Jr./ABr, CC BY 3.0 BR
Former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and former UEFA Chief Michel Platini are once again at the center of a legal battle over corruption charges.
The Swiss prosecution is demanding that both officials be sentenced to 20 months of suspended imprisonment with a two-year probation period, according to L’Equipe.
The investigation revolves around a payment of two million Swiss francs, approved by Blatter in 2011 in favor of Platini.
The money was transferred for allegedly providing consultancy services, but prosecutors argue that the payment was unlawful. In 2022, a lower court acquitted both men, but the prosecution appealed the decision.
Federal prosecutor Thomas Hildebrand insists on sentencing, citing violations of FIFA's financial regulations.
However, Blatter and Platini deny the charges, claiming that the payment was legitimate. The final verdict in the case is expected on March 25.
Background
Joseph (Sepp) Blatter is a Swiss football executive who led FIFA from 1998 to 2015. After being re-elected for a fifth term amid a major corruption scandal, he was forced to resign. That same year, FIFA’s Ethics Committee temporarily banned him from football-related activities. Due to numerous corruption allegations, Blatter was often referred to as the "Don Corleone of football."
Michel Platini is a French footballer, coach, and executive, recognized as France's best player of the 20th century. He won the Ballon d'Or three consecutive times. In 2007, he became UEFA president but was suspended in 2015 due to a corruption scandal and subsequently banned. Later, he served as an advisor at FIFPro.