Blatter, the former head of FIFA, claims he is innocent in a fraud case after appearing in court

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who appeared in a Swiss court on Monday alongside France soccer great Michel Platini, claimed innocence after being exonerated of fraud two and a half years ago.

Blatter and Platini were acquitted in 2022 by a lower Swiss court after a seven-year investigation investigating a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.22 million) to Platini.

The Swiss federal prosecutor has challenged that ruling, resulting in a fresh hearing before the Swiss Criminal Court’s Extraordinary Appeals Chamber in Muttenz, near Basel.

The prosecutor requested that the decision be thrown aside in whole.

Blatter informed the court on Monday that he was not guilty of fraud.

“When you mention falsehoods, lying, and deception, that’s not me. That didn’t exist in my entire life,” he explained.

“We had principles in my family – we take only money we have earned,” stated the man. “I am innocent.”

The 2022 indictment charged Blatter and Platini of tricking FIFA personnel in 2010 and 2011 about the organization’s duty to pay the Frenchman, who was president of UEFA at the time.

“They incorrectly claimed that FIFA owed or entitled Platini to 2 million Swiss francs for consulting work. This deceit was accomplished through repeated false representations made by both accused individuals,” the indictment stated.

The lawsuit dashed Platini’s chances of eventually succeeding Blatter, who resigned from FIFA in 2015 after a separate corruption scandal.

FIFA suspended Blatter and Platini from football in 2015 for ethical violations, initially for eight years, but their bans were eventually reduced.

The couple were cleared in the 2022 case when a court considered their story of a “gentlemen’s agreement” for the payment as plausible. The judge also expressed strong reservations about the prosecution’s claim that it was fake.

The Swiss federal prosecutor is seeking a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, for Blatter and Platini, the former France soccer captain and manager.

‘Witch Hunt’

Blatter, FIFA’s president for 17 years until 2015, stated before to the hearing that he believed he was the target of a witch hunt.

“We did nothing wrong, nothing,” the frail-looking 88-year-old told reporters outside the court after the first day’s hearing.

Platini, the three-time European Footballer of the Year, refuted the allegations of fraud “100%,” according to his counsel.

“The court of first instance was right to find that the disputed payment of 2 million francs was lawful,” Platini’s lawyer Dominic Nellen stated.

Platini told the court that he had signed a contract to work as Blatter’s advisor for four years, between 1998 and 2022. He was not paid right away because Blatter claimed FIFA lacked the cash to compensate him at the time.

Platini invoiced FIFA for the two million francs payment in 2011.

“I knew that FIFA would pay me what it owed sooner or later,” Platini told the court. “When FIFA asked for an invoice, I made it simple: 500,000 multiplied by 4 years equals 2 million.” I sent out an invoice, and 10 days later I received payment and paid my taxes.”

Platini stated that the payment was only for retroactive pay.
“There’s no corruption, no swindling, nothing at all,” he told reporters outside the court.

The ruling is due on March 25.