Not without controversy, Joseph Blatter (former president of FIFA) and Michel Platini (former president of UEFA) have been acquitted for the second time after being accused of corruption and tax fraud during their respective terms at the helm of both organizations. In this way, a judicial process comes to an end in which both have stood in the defendant's dock for the past 10 years.

What were Blatter and Platini accused of?

Blatter and Platini were accused, and thus judged, of being involved in an illegal payment to the former president of UEFA, a three-time Ballon d'Or winner during his playing career between 1983 and 1985, made from FIFA's official funds. The amount in question was set at two million Swiss francs, or about 2.5 million dollars.

In 1999, both signed an agreement under which Michel Platini would receive an annual payment of 300,000 Swiss francs when Blatter was still president of FIFA. Later, specifically in 2015, both were suspended for eight years, which derailed Platini's aspirations to succeed Blatter. "I know the story from the beginning, and I know it was a plot to prevent me from becoming president of FIFA.”

“They left me sidelined for 10 years”

In 2022, Blatter and Platini claimed that this payment was based on a mutual agreement between the two, but they could not prove it in court because no signed document existed. This confession led to their acquittal. However, the prosecution appealed the verdict and, in addition to the repayment of the money, demanded 20 years in prison for both leaders. However, the case was not processed due to the ages of Blatter (89 years old) and Platini (69).

This morning, both leaders were acquitted again, as ruled by an extraordinary Appeals Court of the Federal Criminal Court. “I know that for my enemies, the important thing was time. They don't care about the two million: it's about the moment. They left me sidelined for 10 years,” said Platini.