Lausanne (AFP)
Former UEFA president Michel Platini and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who are on trial for fraud in Switzerland, will meet their fate on Friday morning in the case that ended the two men’s careers.
The Federal Criminal Court in Pelinzuna, Switzerland, will decide on Friday the case, which could include up to five years in prison for defrauding FIFA by obtaining unjustified compensation of two million Swiss francs in favor of the former. french star.
Platini and Blatter signed a written agreement in August 1999 stating that FIFA would pay 300,000 Swiss francs a year, confirming that they agreed to pay 700,000 Swiss francs a year when FIFA’s finances allowed.
Platini, then president of the European Union, presented a two million Swiss franc note in early 2011, which Blatter signed and presented to FIFA as payment for back wages.
Last June, Swiss prosecutors asked for a suspended sentence of one year and eight months.
But at 10am on Friday, the 67-year-old Frenchman and the 86-year-old Swiss hope to find only one way out: a defense of innocence based on political and judicial manipulation to get rid of them. Energy.
During the investigation and two weeks of hearings, the defense sought to raise the possibility of a possible behind-the-scenes role for current FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was Platinum’s right-hand man at UEFA and was suddenly elected FIFA President. beginning of 2016.