By Labaran Kenneth
365Daily – A Swiss court had declared former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini, of fraud charges in a trial ruling.
Blatter was accused of giving 2m Swiss franc (£1.6m/$1.9m) to Platini in 2011 in a ”gentleman’s agreement” deal.
They were subsequently banned from football for six years following the 2015 FIFA corruption case which engulfed the top of the sport’s governing body.
The accused maintained that the contentious money was for services rendered a decade prior for services rendered, which the court agreed with and acquitted them of criminal activity.
Responding to the judgement, Platini, who had always maintained that his ban was a deliberate attempt to sabotage his chances of succeeding Blatter as president of FIFA, vowed that he would continue to attempt to clear his name.
“Let them count on me, we will meet again,” he said. “Because I will not give up and I will go all the way in my quest for truth.”
The duo’s ban from the game – imposed as an eight-year term in 2015, reduced on appeal to six years in 2016 – ended last year, though Blatter was hit with another subsequent ban over different charges relating to former FIFA secretary Jerome Valcke.
It is unlikely either figure will return to football at the level they once held, with Blatter’s successor, Gianni Infantino, having since overseen the Russia 2018 World Cup, and is poised to lead the organisation into this year’s controversial Qatar 2022 event – awarded under Blatter’s tenure.
Platini, once regarded as the heir apparent to Blatter and fondly remembered for his playing days as a Ballon d’Or-winning superstar, could well seek a return to the game, but given his tarnished reputation, he may find it difficult to attract offers.