25-03-25, 23:23
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FIFA Corruption -Sepp Blatter & Michel Platini CLEARED For SECOND Time
Sepp Blatter 89, and Michel Platini CLEARED of Corruption Charges For SECOND Time Over Historic FIFA Payment
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini faced corruption charges over a historic payment. The pair were cleared of wrongdoing at an initial trial two and a half years ago
MailOnline 26 MAR 2025
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and French legend Michel Platini were both cleared of corruption charges by a Swiss court on Tuesday, after they were first acquitted of the offences. BS x 2
The pair, once among the most powerful figures in global football, were cleared of fraud mismanagement at the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in the town of Muttenz, near Basel.
The hearing came about after Swiss federal prosecutors appealed against their 2022 acquittal at a lower court.
Both men had denied the charges which related to a 2 million Swiss franc 1.6 million GBP payment made to Platini, who was UEFA president at the time, in 2011.
But on Tuesday, the pair were acquitted for a second time on charges of fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of FIFA money.
Blatter, 89, gave little reaction listening to the verdict of the three judges.
The attorney generals office in Switzerland had challenged a first acquittal in July 2022 and asked for sentences of 20 months, suspended for two years.
The scandal ended both mens careers in football as they were banned from the global game in 2015, with Platinis dream of succeeding Blatter at FIFA in tatters.
Both Blatter and Platini denied wrongdoing and said the money was belated payment for FIFA advisory work done by the Frenchman between 1998 and 2002.
Platini had claimed the payment was partly deferred because FIFA lacked the funds to pay him in full immediately at the time.
However, both individuals were suspended for ethics breaches, originally for eight years. Although their bans were later reduced, it effectively finished their careers in football administration.
Meanwhile, back at the original trial in 2022, the judge had concluded the pairs version of events was credible.
Blatter had claimed that he had a gentlemans agreement with Platini but that the agreement had been purely oral, was made without witnesses and did not appear in FIFAs accounts. The judge also said serious doubts existed about the prosecutions allegation that it was fraudulent.....
AND they BOTH walk away VERY RICH men, despite paying teams of lawyers MILLIONS for years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo5A9sc2Ewo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sayRYSgJuU8
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