Joseph Blatter, former FIFA president, is approaching his 89th birthday while facing renewed legal challenges regarding a controversial payment to Michel Platini. Despite being acquitted in a previous trial, appeals from the federal prosecutor’s office have reopened the case. Key questions arise about the payment’s legitimacy and the informant who prompted the investigation. As the legal proceedings unfold, both Blatter and Platini prepare for court, amidst ongoing scrutiny of FIFA’s financial dealings.
In just a few days, Joseph Blatter, the former FIFA president, will mark his 89th birthday. His journey in football began in 1954 when he was invited to train with the reserves of FC Lausanne-Sports, showcasing his potential as a promising striker from FC Sierre.
At that time, Lausanne-Sports was a formidable force in Swiss football, boasting six championship titles, with their last victory occurring just a few years prior. The club’s first-team coach took notice of the nimble and quick striker from Upper Valais, offering Blatter a transfer agreement. However, being a minor, he couldn’t sign it himself.
Blatter’s father, who was meant to sign on his behalf, rejected the opportunity by tearing up the contract, insisting, “You can’t earn a living with football.” This effectively dashed Blatter’s early aspirations, leading him to play as an amateur for a few more years at FC Sierre in the Swiss third division.
Defying Expectations
On a broader scale, Blatter’s impact on football governance far surpasses his on-field contributions. He has certainly disproved his father’s belief that one cannot make a living in the sport. However, his tenure as FIFA president brought its share of controversies. Starting Monday, he will face court proceedings once again, nearly three years after being acquitted in the initial trial. The appeal hearing will take place in Muttenz, centering on a disputed payment made to Michel Platini, the former French football star and UEFA president.
Both the federal prosecutor’s office and FIFA have lodged appeals against the acquittal, seeking convictions for Blatter and Platini as alleged fraudsters linked to a contract that facilitated a payment of 2 million Swiss francs from FIFA to Platini.
In the summer of 2022, Blatter and Platini successfully argued that the transaction was legitimate, leading to their acquittal by the Federal Criminal Court’s criminal chamber. They celebrated the court’s decision as a victory, akin to scoring a goal on the field. However, the judgment carried a bittersweet note, as the acquittal was granted under the principle of “in dubio pro reo,” meaning in doubt for the accused.
The Case Reopened
Following the acquittal, the federal prosecutor’s office pursued the matter further, demanding a thorough investigation—similar to a video assistant review in football. This renewed scrutiny raises critical questions, such as: What was the purpose of the 2 million francs payment to Platini? Why did he only claim this amount a decade later? And notably, who tipped off the federal prosecutor’s office on May 27, 2015, regarding this previously undisclosed payment?
On that pivotal day, a staggering ten terabytes of data were seized at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters, just hours after the dramatic arrest of several high-ranking FIFA officials at the Baur au Lac hotel. This amount of data is equivalent to several million books, indicating that an insider must have provided critical information about the payment to Platini, which was stored in a folder labeled “EXCO 2009-2011.”
Had it not been for this insider tip, Gianni Infantino might not have ascended to the FIFA presidency; Michel Platini was widely regarded as the frontrunner to succeed Blatter. However, due to the unfolding criminal investigations, Platini was forced to step back, paving the way for Infantino, who had previously served as Platini’s right-hand man at UEFA.
The identity of the insider who cleared Infantino’s path remains a mystery, one that investigators from the federal prosecutor’s office aim to unravel. Olivier Thormann, the investigator at the time, took both Blatter and Platini aside at FIFA’s headquarters for questioning regarding the controversial transfer of funds.
Almost a year later, Thormann participated in an informal meeting with Gianni Infantino after he was elected FIFA president. Shortly after, Thormann departed the federal prosecutor’s office under contentious circumstances but quickly found a new role as a member of the appeals chamber of the Federal Criminal Court—the very court now tasked with reviewing the appeals in the Blatter-Platini case.
As the appeal process unfolds in Muttenz, it’s noteworthy that Thormann has been summoned as a witness by the court he now presides over, where he will be questioned about the source of the tip that led to the investigation into the payment to Platini. During the first-instance hearing in Bellinzona, Thormann had stated that Markus Kattner, FIFA’s financial director for over a decade, was the one who alerted him to the payment.
However, Kattner later denied having provided such a tip, leading Platini’s lawyer to file a complaint against Thormann for suspected false testimony, although the proceedings were subsequently dropped.
Thus, in Muttenz, a dramatic confrontation is set to take place between the two witnesses whose accounts contradict each other. Kattner will be questioned on Monday, followed by Thormann on Tuesday, as the saga continues.
Meanwhile, Joseph Blatter has been preparing for his court appearance, having recently been questioned via video link in a separate case regarding potential tax evasion linked to the German “Summer Fairy Tale” involving the 2006 World Cup candidacy. This ongoing legal battle demonstrates that the wheels of justice turn slowly, not just in Switzerland, but also in Germany, where the courts are still deliberating on the matter.