Blatter and Platini Face Retrial Over $2M FIFA Payment

Swiss prosecutors appeal 2022 acquittal of ex-FIFA and UEFA leaders in long-running corruption case.

Sepp Blatter, 88, and Michel Platini, 69, returned to a Swiss court for a retrial on fraud, forgery, and misappropriation charges linked to a $2.21 million FIFA payment made in 2011.
The retrial follows an appeal by Swiss federal prosecutors after their 2022 acquittal, which had accepted their claim of a verbal 'gentlemen’s agreement' for deferred payment for consultancy work from 1998 to 2002.
Prosecutors allege the payment unlawfully enriched Platini and damaged FIFA’s assets, seeking suspended 20-month sentences for both defendants.
The payment and subsequent investigation in 2015 derailed Platini’s bid to succeed Blatter as FIFA president and led to both being banned from soccer leadership roles.
The trial is expected to last four days, with a verdict scheduled for March 25; both Blatter and Platini maintain their innocence and express confidence in acquittal.