Overview

• The appeals court in Muttenz upheld the acquittal of Joseph Blatter and Michel Platini in the fraud case concerning a 2011 payment of 2 million Swiss francs.
• The court applied the legal principle of 'in dubio pro reo,' emphasizing the lack of sufficient evidence to convict the former FIFA and UEFA leaders.
• Blatter and Platini had claimed the payment was for consultancy services orally agreed upon a decade earlier.
• The prosecution had sought suspended prison sentences of one year and eight months for both defendants but failed to overturn the 2022 ruling.
• Separately, a Frankfurt court is considering dismissing tax evasion charges against former DFB official Theo Zwanziger, signaling potential resolution in another FIFA-related investigation.