Swiss Appeals Court Upholds Acquittal of Blatter and Platini in FIFA Fraud Case

The Muttenz Appeals Court reaffirmed the 2022 ruling, clearing the former FIFA and UEFA presidents of fraud allegations tied to a $2 million payment.

Joseph Blatter and Michel Platini were acquitted by the Muttenz Appeals Court on March 25, 2025, concluding the legal case over a controversial $2 million FIFA payment.
The court upheld the 2022 acquittal by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court, citing insufficient evidence to support the prosecution's fraud and embezzlement charges.
Swiss prosecutors had sought 20-month suspended prison sentences for both men during the appeal trial but failed to overturn the earlier ruling.
The payment, authorized by Blatter in 2011, was described by both defendants as a delayed consultancy fee based on a verbal agreement from a decade earlier.
This case is part of broader scrutiny of FIFA's governance under Blatter's tenure, though the courts reaffirmed the principle of 'in dubio pro reo'—in doubt, for the accused.