The FIFA scandal on Friday engulfed FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini, the two most powerful figures in world soccer, with Swiss prosecutors investigating whether a US$2 million payment from Blatter to the French legend was illegal.
Swiss investigators opened criminal proceedings against world soccer body supremo Blatter and searched his office as they also quizzed his European counterpart Platini.
“Swiss criminal proceedings against the president of FIFA, Mr Joseph Blatter, have been opened on Sept. 24, 2015 on suspicion of criminal mismanagement ... and — alternatively — misappropriation,” the Swiss Attorney General Office said in a statement.
Photo: Reuters
Blatter, 79, is standing down because of corruption scandals involving other top officials and Platini has been favored to win an election to be held in February to succeed him.
The office said that “the defendant Joseph Blatter” had been questioned and “the office of the FIFA president has been searched and data seized.”
Blatter was questioned as “a suspect.”
The statement added that Platini had been questioned “as a person called upon to give information.”
Platini, 60, has been head of UEFA since January 2007, with the position making him an automatic FIFA vice-president.
Blatter’s lawyer Richard Cullen said in a statement that the FIFA boss was cooperating with Swiss authorities and that a review of the evidence would show “no mismanagement occurred.”
Blatter “is suspected of making a disloyal payment of 2 million Swiss francs [US$2.04 million] to Michel Platini, president of Union of European Football Associations [UEFA], at the expense of FIFA,” the office said.
The alleged payment was made in February 2011 “for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002.”
Later on Friday, Platini insisted the payment had been for “contractual” work he had carried out.
“Concerning the payment that was made to me, I wish to state that this amount relates to work which I carried out under a contract with FIFA,” the UEFA boss said. “I was pleased to have been able to clarify all matters relating to this with the authorities.”
A former FIFA insider, who requested anonymity, told reporters that “Platini took a serious blow” by even being mentioned in the Swiss statement.
Blatter “is finished now... Platini will struggle to recover from being questioned,” the person said.
The dramatic turn of events came after a press conference, that Blatter was scheduled to give, was canceled.
Platini is a former Blatter ally who turned against the veteran Swiss sports baron over the past 18 months as FIFA’s troubles mounted.
The investigation is also into Blatter’s links with Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice-president now at the center of a US investigation.
The attorney general said Blatter was suspected of making a deal “unfavorable to FIFA” with the Caribbean Football Union, which Warner used as his power base.
Cullen, who is based in Virginia, said the contract was “properly prepared and negotiated” by FIFA staff with responsibility for such matters.
A Trinidad court announced that on Dec. 2 it would rule on whether Warner should be extradited to the US.
Warner is one of 14 soccer officials and business executives charged by US prosecutors of involvement in more than US$150 million in bribes for broadcasting and marketing deals.
Nearly all of the suspects are from central or South America. Until recent days, FIFA’s top leadership had escaped accusations flying around the world body.
Swiss officials arrested seven FIFA officials, who are among the US suspects, on May 27 in Zurich just ahead of the world body’s congress.
Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term at the congress despite the storm, but then announced on June 4 that he would stand down.
Since then, FIFA has announced steps to make reforms, but has been shaken by new corruption claims.
FIFA this month suspended Blatter’s right-hand man, Jerome Valcke, after Valcke was accused of involvement in an accord to sell tickets for last year’s World Cup at inflated prices.
Valcke strongly denied the allegations, but FIFA handed over e-mails from the suspended secretary-general that had been demanded by the Swiss attorney general.
He is also under suspicion over what he knew about a US$10 million payment from the South African Football Associtaion to an account controlled by Warner through FIFA in 2008.
US prosecutors believe it was a bribe intended to get Caribbean support for South Africa’s bid for 2010 World Cup.
Swiss prosecutors are also looking into FIFA’s award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively. Both have strongly denied any wrongdoing in their campaigns to secure the tournaments.
US attorney general Loretta Lynch made it clear this month that her department’s inquiry was growing and more major charges could be expected.
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