Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, and Michel Platini, formerly two of the most powerful figures in the world of international football, have been acquitted on charges of fraud, embezzlement and forgery by a Swiss court.
The two men faced an investigation from Swiss authorities over alleged payments worth approximately $2 million to Platini for what was described as consultancy services between 1998 and 2002.
Swiss prosecutors alleged that FIFA continued to pay Platini for consultancy services for years after he stopped providing those services.
Both Blatter and Platini maintained their innocence following the accusations, conceding that the payments continued after Platini stopped providing consultancy services to FIFA but maintained that they were legitimate payments that had been deferred due to financial turmoil at FIFA.
Platini, who after serving as the head of the Union of European Football Associations, was widely considered to be Blatter’s replacement in waiting to lead FIFA.
Blatter, who has been with FIFA since 1975, was forced to resign by FIFA’s sponsors in 2015 after the allegations surfaced.
A written judgement published after the ruling stated: “After examining and evaluating all evidence and circumstantial evidence as well as hearing various witnesses in the main hearing, the criminal court came to the conclusion that the result of the evidence supports the version of the accused.
“The facts of the indictment cannot therefore be considered to have been created with a probability bordering on certainty.”
Platini was awarded damages of 142,893 francs and had more than 2.23 million francs that had been confiscated during the legal proceedings returned to him.
Blatter was awarded damages of 82,198 francs, and a further 20,000 francs in compensation.
