.png){kind=small}
Once considered the two most powerful figures in football, Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have experienced a dramatic fall from grace ever since the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – the governing authority of football globally, which oversees all international footballing competitions and is responsible for organising major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup (the most-watched sporting event in the world) – first became embroiled in a firestorm of controversy regarding fraud, corruption and mismanagement allegations against its key personnel a decade ago.
Although the wider investigations into FIFA’s activities rumble on, Blatter and Platini’s recent acquittal by a Swiss appeal court against corruption charges for a payment made in 2011 represents a victory of sorts for the pair, following numerous attempts to clear their names. However, the reputations of both men have been significantly tarnished and, in the case of Blatter, may not recover for many more years (perhaps never). There may therefore be further twists and turns in this long-running tale, as the fallout from the decision begins to surface.
For FIFA, the ruling leaves it neither here nor there. Having joined the Swiss prosecutor’s appeal and pursuing its own civil case to recover the payment, the failed appeal represents a setback for FIFA as it must now compensate each of Blatter and Platini (albeit with modest sums). Beyond this verdict, though, FIFA finds itself entangled in a web of ongoing legal battles. With the organisation remaining under the microscope in the face of scandals that have somewhat eroded public trust in its stewardship of world football, the Blatter-Platini case is a reminder of the need for improved transparency and accountability within football governance.
FIFA proudly declares itself the “Home of Football”. Yet, in recent years, the walls of this once formidable institution appear to have crumbed brick-by-brick under the weight of intense scrutiny regarding its governance of the ‘beautiful game’. Since 2015, a series of corruption scandals involving FIFA’s top officials have marred its standing as the chief custodian of football. These revelations have sparked multiple criminal investigations, including those spearheaded by US and Swiss prosecutors.
While the investigations led by US authorities into allegations of racketeering, wire fraud, bribery and money laundering against more than 40 FIFA officials continue to date, on 25 March 2025, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) lost its appeal against a 2022 Swiss lower court decision that had acquitted Sepp Blatter, the prominent ex-President of FIFA, and Michel Platini, the illustrious three-time Ballon d’Or winner and former President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), of corruption charges over the 2011 payment of 2 million Swiss francs (approximately £1.7 million) by Blatter to Platini out of FIFA’s funds.
Although the OAG has confirmed it will review the judgment before deciding whether to further appeal to the highest court in Switzerland, the verdict is the latest chapter in a decade-long saga that first became public in 2015 and forced Blatter to resign as FIFA President. It also prompted Platini to step down as UEFA President and effectively derailed his ambitions to eventually succeed Blatter as the head of FIFA.
How did we get here?
Throughout the proceedings, Blatter and Platini have consistently denied any wrongdoing. They maintain that the payment was a legitimate consultancy fee belatedly payable to Platini for work done as a presidential advisor to Blatter between 1998 and 2002.
At the time, FIFA allegedly lacked the funds to pay the annual fee of 1 million Swiss francs requested by Platini. The pair therefore agreed on a reduced annual fee of 300,000 francs, with the remaining amount to be settled in the future. According to Blatter and Platini, this agreement was made orally and without any witnesses present. Platini later claimed the outstanding amount as a debt in 2011, at which point Blatter authorised FIFA to pay 2 million Swiss francs to Platini. Platini subsequently stated that he declared the money as income and paid taxes on it.
The details of the payment only emerged as part of the corruption scandals that hit FIFA in May 2015, when Swiss authorities (in co-ordination with the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation) conducted dawn raids at a Zurich hotel that led to the arrests of several senior FIFA officials, all of whom faced extradition to the US.
On 2 June 2015, merely four days after winning re-election for a fifth term as FIFA President, Blatter announced his resignation amid the extensive investigations into FIFA. But, Blatter confirmed he would stay in the role until the next President was elected between December 2015 and March 2016.
US investigations
The US investigations began with charges of racketeering, wire fraud, bribery and money laundering against 14 FIFA officials. Since then, the number of defendants charged has grown to more than 40.
US prosecutors focused on a $150 million bribery scheme involving senior officials from two regional governing bodies operating under FIFA: CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (Caribbean, Central and North America). These officials were accused of accepting large bribes from sports marketing executives in exchange for lucrative media and tournament rights.
The arrests and guilty pleas triggered Swiss authorities to open their own investigations into corruption within FIFA.
Swiss investigations
In September 2015, the OAG launched criminal investigations regarding the 2011 payment, which prosecutors considered to be “disloyal” and “unfavourable” to FIFA. Both Blatter and Platini were interrogated by Swiss police at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, ironically on the same day a FIFA executive committee meeting took place at which Platini was recommended as a strong candidate to replace Blatter in FIFA’s upcoming presidential election.
Swiss authorities also raided FIFA’s headquarters, gathering documents for their investigations into allegations of criminal mismanagement and money laundering in relation to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
FIFA regulatory proceedings
In October 2015, Blatter and Platini were suspended by FIFA’s ethics committee for 90 days pending its own investigation into the circumstances of the payment. The ban was upheld in December 2015, when the ethics committee confirmed that the pair were suspended from all football-related activities for eight years (later reduced to six years by FIFA’s appeals committee) since the committee found that the payment had “no legal basis” and breached FIFA’s ethics code.
Blatter and Platini separately appealed their bans to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2016. In respect of Platini, the CAS panel agreed to reduce his ban to four years, but refused to overturn it altogether. As a result, Platini had to resign from his position as UEFA President in May 2016.
Regarding Blatter, CAS dismissed his appeal and maintained Blatter’s six-year ban because it considered that the payment approved by him was an “undue gift” with “no contractual basis”.
Swiss criminal proceedings
During this time, the OAG continued to build its criminal case against Blatter and Platini. Yet, owing to the complexity of the matter, the wider investigations into FIFA’s activities and Platini’s appeal to the Swiss supreme court concerning CAS’s decision to uphold his ban (which failed), as well as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that caused a backlog of cases, the OAG only formally charged the pair with fraud, mismanagement and misappropriation of funds in November 2021.
Following an 11-day trial that began in June 2022, Blatter and Platini were found not guilty by a lower Swiss court in July 2022. The court concluded that the evidence supported the pair’s version of events and that they had a “gentleman’s agreement” which was not unlawful.
Nevertheless, the OAG appealed the lower court decision and asked for sentences of 20 months (suspended for two years) to be issued against both. FIFA joined the OAG’s appeal and also pursued a civil case to recover the money.
The appeal
The four-day appeal trial began on 3 March 2025. OAG prosecutors argued that Blatter and Platini had deceived FIFA about the payment and had damaged its assets. Meanwhile, the pair continued to plead their innocence. Notably, despite joining the appeal, FIFA was not represented in court, which the defence team for Blatter and Platini (Lorenz Emi and Dominic Nellen) claimed was a “clear sign that it [i.e. FIFA] too had lost interest in these criminal proceedings following the 2022 acquittal”.
On 25 March 2025, the Swiss appellate court delivered its verdict in which it dismissed the OAG’s appeal, clearing Blatter and Platini of wrongdoing in relation to the payment. In reaching this decision, the court said there were doubts about the prosecution’s allegation that the payment was fraudulent. According to the court, Platini’s experience as a renowned footballer justified the size of the payment, which followed the Swiss legal principle that in case of doubt, the accused ought to be favoured. There was therefore no illegitimate intent between Blatter and Platini to unlawfully enrich themselves at the expense of FIFA.
The court stated that Platini is entitled to compensation of approximately 180,000 Swiss francs from the Swiss state, with Blatter to recover roughly 110,000 Swiss francs. The pair are also entitled to receive 1,500 Swiss francs each from FIFA.
The OAG has confirmed it will review the judgment in full to consider whether there may be certain (limited) grounds for appeal to the Swiss supreme court.
What is next?
Platini’s worldwide ban from football activities came to an end in 2019. With this latest ruling absolving him, Platini is now free to re-enter the footballing world. Yet, having once harboured ambitions of succeeding Blatter as the next President of FIFA, the shadow of the investigations and suspensions has likely closed the door on the 69-year-old’s prospects of ever ascending to the top. Consequently, Platini’s lawyer has indicated that he plans to pursue legal action against those responsible for the criminal proceedings, meaning the battle may be far from over.
For Blatter, the ruling offers little solace. In 2021, a few months before his initial ban was nearing an end, FIFA’s ethics committee imposed an additional ban of six years and eight months on Blatter for engaging in self-dealing, by allegedly awarding himself eight-figure bonuses for the successful organisation of the men’s World Cups in 2010 and 2014. With Blatter banned until late 2028 (when he will be aged 92), the likelihood of his return to football is virtually non-existent as he steps further into his twilight years and strives to restore his reputation.
As regards FIFA, the governing body of world football has faced significant turmoil since the emergence of the corruption scandals in 2015. In response to the scandals, FIFA established a reform committee in 2016 tasked with implementing governance reforms aimed at increasing transparency and accountability. The reform committee’s work has been extensive in this respect. For instance, it has implemented term limits for top FIFA officials (including the President) to prevent the concentration of power and ensure regular leadership changes.
The committee has also enhanced financial controls and ensured that greater oversight over decision-making processes have been established to promote transparency in FIFA's operations. Moreover, the committee has emphasised the need to educate and train officials on ethical practices, by encouraging a culture of integrity and openness in FIFA. Despite these efforts, FIFA continues to grapple with the need to rebuild trust with the public and key stakeholders. The endurance of these reforms will be tested by the legal challenges that FIFA is exposed to, not least by US prosecutors whose criminal investigations are ongoing.
As FIFA endeavours to reshape its image, the legacy of Blatter and Platini serves as a stark reminder of the vital importance of transparency and accountability within football governance. Although the path to redemption is long and filled with challenges, FIFA’s efforts to implement transformative reforms showcases a commitment towards learning from past controversies. These reforms not only promise a renewed future for FIFA, but they are also essential for the continued sustenance and integrity of the sport, ensuring that football remains a bastion of fair play both on and off the pitch.