Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been cleared for a second time of charges relating to fraud, forgery, mismanagement, and the misappropriation of $2.2 million (£1.7 million) in FIFA funds in 2011.

The Swiss Attorney General’s Office had appealed against their initial acquittal in July 2022, seeking 20-month suspended sentences for the former FIFA and UEFA presidents. However, the Federal Criminal Appeals Court upheld their defence, ruling that the payment had been made for consultancy work.

Blatter, now aged 89, showed little emotion as he listened to the verdict, delivered by a panel of three cantonal judges sitting as a federal criminal appeals court. Seated in front of Platini, he alternated between tapping his fingers and covering his mouth with his hand. Platini, meanwhile, sat with his arms folded, occasionally rubbing his hands as a translator relayed the ruling from German into French.

The Case and the Verdict

The case revolved around a 2011 payment authorised by Blatter from FIFA’s accounts to Platini, which prosecutors claimed was made without a legal basis. The payment related to additional, non-contractual salary owed for Platini’s role as a presidential adviser between 1998 and 2002.

Swiss prosecutors argued that the funds had unlawfully enriched Platini, as there was no written contract at the time. However, both men maintained that they had agreed on a verbal gentleman’s agreement, with Platini set to receive backdated salary due to FIFA’s financial constraints at the time.

Blatter, speaking after the hearing, referenced the emotional toll of the case, saying:

“You have seen my daughter was coming with tears because she believed in [her] father, and I believed in myself.”

He likened the lengthy legal battle to having a "sword of Damocles" hanging over him, adding:

“To wait such a long time affects a person, and my family was very much affected.”

Platini’s lawyer, Dominic Nellen, welcomed the ruling, stating:

“Michel Platini must finally be left in peace in criminal matters. After two acquittals, even the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland must realise that these criminal proceedings have definitively failed.”

He further noted that the legal proceedings had not only legal but also severe personal and professional consequences for Platini, despite the lack of incriminating evidence. Nellen suggested the possibility of further legal action against those responsible for the criminal investigation.

End of an Era in Football Leadership

The verdict marks another legal victory for Blatter and the 69-year-old Platini, exactly nine and a half years after a Swiss federal investigation in September 2015 launched events that ultimately ended their careers.

On that day in Zurich, police questioned both men at FIFA headquarters following an executive committee meeting, at a time when Platini was the frontrunner to succeed Blatter as FIFA president.

The revelation of the payment contributed to Blatter’s fall from power, leading to his resignation in disgrace. Platini, meanwhile, lost his position as UEFA president following his ban from football.

Despite being twice cleared in court, Blatter’s legacy remains tainted by the corruption scandals that engulfed FIFA during his tenure, leading to the downfall of several senior officials.

Swiss prosecutors still have the option to appeal the ruling at the Swiss Supreme Court.