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Tag: platini

  • FIFA fraud: Blatter, Platini acquitted by Swiss court

    FIFA fraud: Blatter, Platini acquitted by Swiss court

    Former FIFA president Joseph Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini were on Friday acquitted by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in a FIFA fraud trial.

    The two ex-football officials had been charged by federal prosecutors in Switzerland with defrauding FIFA in connection with a payment of two million Swiss francs (2.07 million dollars) Platini received.

    The Frenchman had received the money from FIFA in 2011 for work done as a consultant between 1998 and 2002.

    Switzerland’s Blatter, 86, presided over the world governing football body from 1998 to 2015.

    The Swiss probe started in 2015 after a search at the FIFA headquarters on general corruption suspicion.

    Platini was originally only listed as a witness.

    The prosecution had wanted a suspended sentence of one year eight months for both men.

    Platini was also to be fined some 2.2 million Swiss francs, the original payment plus social security taxes FIFA also paid.

    Blatter and Platini had protested their innocence, with FIFA not in a financial position at the time to fully pay the Frenchman Platini who for his part spoke of a fabricated case.

    Blatter, who had said the two had a verbal agreement for the payment, said shortly ahead of the verdict he expected to be found not guilty.

    “I expect nothing else but an acquittal. I am not innocent in my life but I am innocent in this case,” he said before entering the Bellinzona court house.

    Platini had spoken of a politically-motivated case which ended his ambition to take over from Blatter as FIFA president, a position now held by former UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino.

    Both men were banned from football by the FIFA ethics committee, and their careers were over even though the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later reduced the bans.

    Platini, 67, said in a statement distributed by his lawyer that “my fight is a fight against injustice. I have won a first game.”

    “The truth has come to light in this trial,” he said, vowing “we will meet again”.

    He added that he would “go all the way in my quest for the truth” because “there are culprits who did not appear during this trial.”

  • FIFA sues Blatter, Platini to recover £1.56m

    World soccer body FIFA on Monday filed claims in Swiss court seeking to recover 2 million Swiss francs (£1.56 million) that it said were paid inappropriately by ex-FIFA President Joseph Blatter to former French football star Michel Platini.

    “FIFA has today filed claims in the relevant Swiss courts against former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and former FIFA Vice-President Michel Platini, seeking restitution of the 2 million francs unduly paid to Mr. Platini back in February 2011,” FIFA said, adding it was “duty-bound to try to recover the funds illicitly paid by one former official to another.”

    Blatter and Platini, who could not immediately be reached for comment, have maintained they did nothing wrong amid what became part of the biggest corruption scandal to shake the world soccer body, resulting in numerous prosecutions and convictions in the United States.

    Blatter and Platini were both banned from soccer in late 2015 over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs made to the Frenchman by FIFA with Blatter’s approval in 2011 for work he had done a decade earlier.

    Platini, the head of European soccer body UEFA from 2007 to 2015, was originally banned from all soccer-related activities for eight years, though the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later reduced the suspension to four years. His ban ended this year.

    Blatter’s ban was reduced from eight years to six, a period later upheld by CAS in a decision that concluded the now-83-year-old had “breached the FIFA Code of Ethics since the payment amounted to an undue gift as it had no contractual basis.”

  • Ex-UEFA president Platini freed after being questioned over Qatar World Cup

    Ex-UEFA president Platini freed after being questioned over Qatar World Cup

    Former France captain Michel Platini was released in the early hours of Wednesday after having been questioned over the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals to Qatar.

    Platini’s lawyer, William Bourdon, said his client was innocent of all charges and that he had been questioned on “technical grounds.”

    “It was very long, given the number of questions. It was obviously always going to be long, since they asked me questions over Euro 2016, the World Cup in Russia, the World Cup in Qatar,
    Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and FIFA,” Platini told reporters on Wednesday as he left the police station where he had been detained.

    “I replied to all the questions calmly, whilst still not knowing why I was there,” he added.

    The French national financial prosecutor’s office, which specialises in investigating economic crimes and corruption, has been leading a probe into the awarding of the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

    It is looking into possible offences including private corruption, conspiracy and influence-peddling.

    The decision in December 2010 to award the World Cup to Qatar surprised many.

    This was in view of the supposed lack of potential local audiences for the games, the extremely hot summer weather, and the poor performance of the country’s national squad.

    It will be the first Arab state to host the competition.

    Platini, who is a former head of European football association UEFA, is one of France’s most famous sportsmen and football stars.

    He led France to victory in the 1984 European Championship and played in two World Cup semi-finals.

  • Alleged fraud: Michel Platini released from police custody

    Alleged fraud: Michel Platini released from police custody

    Former UEFA chief, Michel Platini has been released by France’s national financial prosecutor’s office.

    The legendary soccer star was arrested earlier Tuesday in connection with the awarding of 2022 FIFA World Cup hosting to Qatar.

    He was detained in a Paris suburb as part of a corruption probe into the awarding of the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar.

    Platini’s legal team, led by William Bourdon, said his client was innocent of all charges and that he was being questioned on “technical grounds.

    The detention of the former soccer star was first reported by French investigative website Mediapart.

    France’s national financial prosecutor’s office, which specialises in investigating economic crimes and corruption, has been leading a probe into the awarding of the 2022 tournament to the Gulf emirate since 2016.

    It is looking into possible offences including private corruption, conspiracy and influence peddling.

    “His lawyer, William Bourdon, would like to state as strongly as possible that this is not an arrest, but rather being heard as a witness by the investigators within a framework preventing those being questioned and heard from consulting each other during the process,” a statement issued on behalf of Bourdon and Platini read.

    Officials with Qatar’s World Cup organising committee said they had no immediate comment.

    FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, said it was aware of the reports concerning Platini, who is a former FIFA vice-president, but said it had no details on the investigation.

    FIFA “reiterates its full commitment to cooperating with the authorities in any given country of the world where investigations are taking place in connection with football activities,” it said in a statement.

    The decision in December 2010 to award the World Cup to Qatar surprised many given the lack of potential local audiences for the games, the extremely hot summer weather, and the poor performance of the country’s national squad. It will be the first Arab state to host the competition.