Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA president Michel Platini appear in appeal starting this Monday, March 3, 2025, before a Swiss court. This new trial is a crucial step in their fight to restore their reputation after years of corruption allegations. The Swiss federal prosecutor is demanding a 20-month suspended prison sentence for both former football leaders, suspecting them of orchestrating a fraudulent payment of 2 million Swiss francs in 2011. This appeal follows a first judgment in 2022 that acquitted them due to insufficient evidence after an investigation lasting nearly seven years.
The case revolves around a payment made by FIFA to Michel Platini, whose legitimacy is contested by judicial authorities. According to the defense, this payment results from a verbal contract made in 1998 when Platini advised Blatter before his election as FIFA president. Blatter, now 89 years old, maintains that this sum was owed as compensation for services rendered and that the delayed payment was linked to the organization’s financial situation at the time. FIFA, acting as a civil party, is demanding the reimbursement of 1.83 million euros, which it considers an “unduly received” payment, insisting on the absence of written proof confirming such a contractual agreement.
This appeal trial, taking place in Muttenz near Basel, is closely followed by the football world, as it highlights the governance scandals that have marked the sport’s governing bodies. For Blatter, it is about definitively closing this chapter and preserving his legacy after leading FIFA for 17 years before falling from grace. Michel Platini, on the other hand, is fighting to clear his name and denounce what he considers a political scheme that hindered his ambition to lead FIFA in 2016. A three-time Ballon d’Or winner and football icon, he continues to assert that he has never been involved in any act of corruption.
The verdict is expected on March 25, 2025, and could be a turning point in this long legal battle. A confirmation of the acquittal would strengthen Blatter and Platini’s position, allowing them to regain some of their credibility. Conversely, a conviction would finalize their definitive exclusion from the football world, already initiated by their suspensions imposed by FIFA. Whatever the outcome, this case will remain a symbol of power struggles and financial misconduct that have shaken the highest levels of world football over the past two decades.
