Swiss Prosecutors Appeal Against Acquittals Of Blatter, Platini

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter speaks to the media after a trial at the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland July 8, 2022.

Swiss federal prosecutors have filed an appeal to overturn the acquittals of former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and France footballing great Michel Platini on corruption charges, they said on Thursday.

Switzerland’s Federal Criminal had c cleared the two in July after a seven-year investigation in which both were booted out of the sport.

A judge said the pair’s account of a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ for FIFA to pay Platini 2 million Swiss francs ($1.99 million)for consulting work was credible, and serious doubts existed about the prosecution’s allegation that it was a fraudulent payment.

Prosecutors had said at the time they would examine the written verdict before deciding whether to appeal against the two, who were once among the most powerful figures in global soccer and had denied wrongdoing.