Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and French football legend Michel Platini have been acquitted of fraud by a Swiss appeals court, Al Jazeera reports.
The ruling, handed down Tuesday by the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court near Basel, affirms their innocence and comes two and a half years after they were initially cleared in a lower court.
The Swiss federal prosecutors had appealed the 2022 acquittal, continuing to pursue charges related to a controversial 2 million Swiss franc ($2.26 million) payment authorized by Blatter to Platini in 2011. Both Blatter and Platini consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The core of the case revolved around a consultancy fee paid to Platini for work he performed between 1998 and 2002. Platini argued that the payment was a legitimate fee for services rendered but was partially deferred due to FIFA’s financial constraints at the time.
The scandal erupted in 2015, during Platini’s tenure as president of UEFA, European football’s governing body. The controversy effectively ended Platini’s aspirations of succeeding Blatter as FIFA president. Blatter himself was subsequently forced out of his position amidst widespread allegations of corruption within the organization.
While the acquittal represents a significant victory for Blatter and Platini, the years of legal battles have undoubtedly taken a toll on their reputations. Both figures, once towering figures in the world of football, saw their careers and legacies severely damaged by the accusations.
