Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA President Michel Platini will stand before the Federal Criminal Court to face corruption charges over a CHF2 million payment made by FIFA to Platini in 2011.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Reuters/Keystone-SDA/dos
Português
pt
Blatter e Platini enfrentam juízes suíços em junho
Both Blatter and Platini have repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the past over the incident, for which the Swiss Attorney General’s Office indicted them last November.
Prosecutors allege Blatter improperly arranged the CHF2 million ($.2.15 million) payment to Platini for consulting work done between 1998 and 2002. The two men claim the payment was for backdated salary.
Both are suspected of fraud and misappropriation amid what became part of the biggest corruption scandal to shake football’s world governing body, which is based in Zurich.
Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, resigned in 2015, followed by Platini as president of UEFA in 2016, shortly after stepping down from running for the FIFA presidency. Both were handed six-year bans for ethics violations.
The trial before the Swiss Federal Criminal Court is due to start on June 8 and last until June 22, the court said on Tuesday.
More
More
Ex-FIFA and UEFA bosses charged by Swiss justice
This content was published on
Former top football officials Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been accused of fraud and other offences by Swiss prosecutors.
Platini’s Swiss lawyer, Dominic Nellen, said he was looking forward to the trial.
“We are confident that the outcome of the trial will establish the perfect good faith of Mr. Michel Platini in this affair, which has been fabricated to remove him from the presidency of FIFA,” Nellen told the Reuters news agency.
The office of Blatter’s attorney declined to comment. At the time of his indictment, Blatter said he was optimistic about the court procedure and he hoped that the facts would finally be fully established.
Tibetans and Uyghurs in Switzerland face pressure from China
This content was published on
Tibetans and Uyghurs living in Switzerland are probably under pressure from China and are being encouraged to spy on their community, according to the Swiss government.
Swiss federal accounts CHF2.5 billion better than expected
This content was published on
A deficit of CHF80 million instead of the budgeted CHF2.6 billion: for the first time since the Covid pandemic, the Swiss government has almost balanced its books
Swiss government specifies reconstruction aid in Ukraine
This content was published on
Reconstruction of urban infrastructure, restoration of secure basic services, continuation of emergency aid: these are the goals of the Swiss government in Ukraine over the next few years.
Swiss government wants to adopt Council of Europe AI conventions
This content was published on
The Swiss government wants to incorporate the Council of Europe's conventions on artificial intelligence (AI) into Swiss law.
Swiss government wants more leeway to export war materiel
This content was published on
The Swiss parliament will decide on whether the government is to be given more leeway in authorising exports of war materiel if the situation requires it.
Ai Weiwei expresses surprise at being turned away at Zurich Airport
This content was published on
The world-famous artist was stopped when he entered Switzerland on Monday evening because, according to the Zurich police, he did not have a visa.
This content was published on
Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the American "absence" on the executive board since last week makes him "sad".
Number of bearded vultures in the Alps could double in ten years
This content was published on
The bearded vultures in the Alps are currently doing so well that their population could double to around 700 animals within ten years.
Hardly any violations of minimum wage regulations in Ticino
This content was published on
A good 3% of companies inspected have violated the minimum wage in the Swiss canton of Ticino in the past three years, according to an official review.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
FIFA sues Blatter and Platini for CHF2 million
This content was published on
The payment was conducted between the two former FIFA executives in 2011 and was instrumental in the duo receiving bans from football activities four years later. Both men have repeatedly denied that they did anything wrong. Last month, FIFA’s governance committee called for the body to take legal action on the payment, noting that the…
FIFA urges Swiss authorities to press ahead with Blatter investigation
This content was published on
The international football federation made arguments in favour of an investigation, after prosecutors decided to abandon part of the proceedings.
FIFA loses court bid to revive probe of Blatter over media rights deal
This content was published on
A Swiss court has rejected world football body FIFA’s bid to revive a criminal probe against its former president, Sepp Blatter.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.