Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini have been officially cleared of all corruption allegations, marking the end of a legal saga that has lasted nearly a decade.
The Swiss Attorney General’s Office confirmed it would not appeal a ruling from March that upheld the pair’s acquittal, closing the case once and for all.
The controversy centered around a payment of 2 million Swiss francs (£1.6m) made by Blatter to Platini in 2011. Both men consistently denied wrongdoing, insisting the sum related to consultancy work Platini carried out for FIFA between 1998 and 2002.
Platini, now 70, was represented by lawyer Dominic Nellen, who welcomed the decision:
“After two acquittals and now the withdrawal of the Attorney General, these proceedings have collapsed completely. Michel Platini has been acquitted with full legal effect and rehabilitated under criminal law,” he said.
Nellen added that the case had severe consequences for Platini’s career, notably blocking his candidacy for FIFA president in 2016, despite prosecutors never producing evidence of misconduct.
Blatter, 89, and Platini were first acquitted of fraud charges in 2022. Their innocence was reaffirmed by the appeals court earlier this year.
Platini expressed satisfaction at the final outcome, stressing that the payment was nothing more than unpaid wages: “The Attorney General’s office failed to produce any incriminating evidence in 10 years. These proceedings were baseless and should never have been brought.”
With the case now permanently closed, both men have been legally exonerated, bringing an end to one of football’s most high-profile corruption trials.
