Michel Platini, the former head of UEFA, testified before a Swiss appeals court on Monday regarding the ongoing legal proceedings against him and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter. The case revolves around a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) made to Platini in 2011 by FIFA for consultancy services, which Platini asserts FIFA owed him.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Platini, who is contesting fraud charges, expressed confusion over why the public prosecutor’s office was pursuing him. “I still don’t understand why the public prosecutor’s office is picking on me,” the 69-year-old French football legend said at the start of his hearing in Muttenz near Basel.
The legal saga dates back to 2015 when Blatter resigned from his position as FIFA president amid a corruption scandal. It centers around the delayed payment of the two million Swiss francs to Platini, who was president of UEFA at the time. The payment, made in 2011, was for consultancy work that Platini had done for FIFA between 1998 and 2002.
In June 2022, Platini and Blatter were acquitted by the Swiss Federal Court of charges including “disloyal management,” “breach of trust,” and “forgery of securities.” The court concluded that fraud was not “established with a likelihood bordering on certainty,” and thus they were given the benefit of the doubt.
During his testimony, Platini described how his consultancy agreement with Blatter began. He explained that in 1998, when Blatter asked him about his salary expectations to join FIFA as an advisor, Platini jokingly said “one million” without knowing the specifics of FIFA’s financial situation. Blatter responded by asking, “one million of what?” Platini continued his joke, saying “one million of whatever you want: roubles, pesetas, lire.” Blatter, however, insisted on the figure being “one million Swiss francs.”
Platini went on to explain that in 1999, due to financial constraints at FIFA, Blatter could not pay him the full agreed amount, so they struck a deal for Platini to receive 300,000 Swiss francs. Blatter assured Platini that the remaining balance would be paid when FIFA’s finances improved. However, Platini’s invoice, which he presented in 2011, was later described by the public prosecutor as a “false invoice” intended to defraud FIFA.
Platini firmly defended his actions, asserting that FIFA owed him the money. “A contract is a contract, a word is a word,” Platini said. “FIFA owed me that money and I would have done anything to get it back.” He added that had FIFA failed to pay the invoice, he would have pursued legal action.
Blatter, also present at the court, stated that their agreement was based on a “gentleman’s agreement,” which was purely oral, lacked witnesses, and was not reflected in FIFA’s official accounts.
The ongoing case, which follows the acquittals of both men in 2022, continues to draw attention as it involves major figures in the world of football and the financial dealings of FIFA during a controversial period in its history.
