Platini-Blatter Case: Acquittal Confirmed on Appeal by Swiss Justice

After nearly ten years of legal proceedings, Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter were once again acquitted on Tuesday, March 25, by the Extraordinary Court of Appeal of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court. This decision upholds the verdict handed down in the first instance in July 2022, despite the Swiss prosecutor’s appeal, which had sought a 20-month suspended prison sentence for the two former football executives.

A Case with Serious Consequences

The case, dating back to 2015, revolved around a payment of 2 million Swiss francs (€1.8 million) made in 2011 by FIFA to Michel Platini for consultancy work carried out between 1999 and 2002. This payment, made without a written contract, was deemed an “improper payment” by the prosecution, which described it as a “false invoice.” However, both men have consistently maintained that it was a “gentlemen’s agreement” made verbally from the outset.

At 69 and 89 years old, Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter, former presidents of UEFA and FIFA, respectively, were facing charges of “fraud, unfair management, breach of trust, and forgery in documents.” Their indictment led to their exclusion from the football world and shattered Platini’s ambitions of becoming FIFA president.

A Final Appeal Still Possible

Despite this acquittal on appeal, the case may not be entirely over. The Swiss prosecutor still has one last option to appeal to the Federal Court in Lausanne, the country’s highest judicial authority. However, this appeal can only be made on limited legal grounds, making it unlikely that the verdict will be overturned again.