Today, the fate of ex-president of the European Football Association of France, Michel Platini, and former president of the International Federation of the Swiss Federation, Joseph Blatter, who are on trial in Switzerland on charges of fraud, will be decided.
Platini and Blatter in this career-ending case could be sentenced to 5 years in prison on the grounds of cheating FIFA by receiving unjustified compensation of two million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros) in favor of the former.
Platini and Blatter signed a written agreement in August 1999 whereby FIFA would pay CHF 300,000 annually, confirming that they had agreed to pay CHF 700,000 annually when the International Federation’s finances allowed.
In early 2011, Platini presented a bill for 2 million Swiss francs, which Blatter signed off and submitted to FIFA as the balance of back wages.
Last June, a Swiss prosecutor asked for a suspended sentence of one year and eight months in prison.
Platini, 67, and Blatter, 86, hope to find a way out of innocence through political and legal manipulation to keep them out of power.
During the inquiry into the hearings, the defense sought to present the possibility of a possible behind-the-scenes role for current FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was Platini’s right hand in the European Union on UEFA play and was then unexpectedly elected FIFA president in early 2016.
Source: “Agency”