FINAL WHISTLE

Ex-Soccer Bosses Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini Acquitted in Corruption Trial

The former FIFA and UEFA presidents faced the charges after a U.S. government investigation.

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini were acquitted of corruption by a Swiss court Friday. The respective former FIFA and UEFA presidents faced criminal charges after a U.S. government investigation found a payment worth around $2 million paid from FIFA to Platini. (FIFA is the international governing body of soccer while UEFA governs Europe specifically.) The 2011 payment came after what Blatter and Platini called a “gentleman’s agreement” made in 1998, which prosecutors said was just an “invention.” Blatter approved the transfer while he was campaigning to be re-elected as the head of FIFA—Platini was seen as influential in how the European caucus would vote in the election. American authorities launched an investigation into corruption at FIFA in 2015 that ultimately led to Blatter standing down, while both he and Platini were banned from the sport for years. “I want to express my happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally been done after seven years of lies and manipulation,” Platini said after the verdict.