Swiss court acquits Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini of fraud

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter and ex-Uefa president Michel Platini have been acquitted of fraud by a Swiss court after one of the highest profile criminal investigations in football’s history.

The judgment, announced on Friday, concludes the case in which the respective former chiefs of the world and European football governing bodies were accused by Swiss prosecutors of embezzlement, conspiracy and forgery.

The case, which was heard over 11 days in the Swiss city of Bellinzona last month, centred around SFr2.2m in allegedly illegally granted payments made to Platini in 2011 and authorised by Blatter during his Fifa presidency.

The pair claimed the payment was made for “consultancy services” provided by Platini to Fifa during Blatter’s first term at the head of the organisation, between 1998 and 2002, on the basis of an oral agreement between them.

The deal ended both men’s careers in football: Fifa’s ethics committee banned them from the sport and removed them from office, triggering a multiyear, unsuccessful process of appeals including at the court of arbitration for sport in Lausanne.

Platini — a former captain of the French national team and three-time winner of the annual Ballon d’Or award for the player voted the best in world football — had once been widely tipped to be Blatter’s successor as Fifa president. He was also Fifa vice-president at the time of the payment.

The criminal case against them was opened by Swiss prosecutors in 2015 and finally came to a head in November last year when charges were formally filed.

“After examining and evaluating all evidence . . . as well as hearing various witnesses during the main hearing, the court came to the conclusion that the evidence supported the accused’s version of events,” said the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in a statement.

Judges found that, contrary to the prosecution’s allegations, “there was no intention of unlawful enrichment”.

Speaking on the steps outside the court, Platini welcomed an end to what he described as “seven years of lies and manipulation”.

“The truth has come to light during this trial and I deeply thank the judges of the tribunal for the independence of their decision,” he said. “I kept saying it — my fight is a fight against injustice. I won a first game.

“In this case, there are culprits who did not appear during this trial. Let them count on me, we will meet again because I will not give up and I will go all the way in my quest for truth.”

The court ordered SFr82,000 ($84,000) to be paid in compensation to Blatter and SFr142,000 to Platini, as well as coverage of their legal costs and the unfreezing of the SFr2.2m given to Platini.

“I am not innocent in my life but in this case I am innocent,” Blatter said on his arrival at the court before the judgment was handed down.