BERNA, 2 Nov. (dpa / EP) –
Former FIFA presidents Joseph Blatter and UEFA Michel Platini have been accused in Switzerland of unfair pay that ended their careers in international football years ago.
Swiss federal prosecutors said in a statement Tuesday that there was no legal basis for the $ 2 million paid in 2011 to Platini. “This payment damaged FIFA assets and illegally enriched Platini,” the prosecution’s statement reads.
Blatter, 85, and Platini, 66, will now be tried in a criminal court in Bellinzona. Prosecutors said FIFA had already paid Platini for his consulting work before paying $ 2 million.
The criminal investigation against Blatter began in autumn 2015, after, following police raids and the arrest of FIFA officials on corruption charges, he said he would resign as president of the governing body of world football. Both were banned for years by the FIFA ethics committee, which ended their careers.