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Swiss prosecutors appeal acquittals of Blatter, Platini in FIFA fraud trial
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Sepp Blatter (C) of Switzerland, ex-president of FIFA, waves to the press after his trial in front of the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland, July 8, 2022. /CFP
Sepp Blatter (C) of Switzerland, ex-president of FIFA, waves to the press after his trial in front of the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland, July 8, 2022. /CFP

Sepp Blatter (C) of Switzerland, ex-president of FIFA, waves to the press after his trial in front of the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland, July 8, 2022. /CFP

Swiss federal prosecutors said on Thursday that they have filed an appeal to overturn the acquittals of former International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) President Sepp Blatter and France footballing great Michel Platini on corruption charges.

Blatter and Platini, once the chiefs of world and European football, respectively, were cleared on July 8 by the Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in a trial following a mammoth investigation that began in 2015.

A judge said the pair's account of a "gentlemen's agreement" for FIFA to pay Platini 2 million Swiss francs ($1.99 million) for consulting work was credible, and serious doubts existed about the prosecution's allegation that it was a fraudulent payment.

Prosecutors had said at the time they would examine the written verdict before deciding whether to appeal against the two, who were once among the most powerful figures in global soccer and had denied wrongdoing.

"We confirm that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of Switzerland has filed an appeal with the Appeals Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court within the statutory time limit ... and has requested that the first-instance judgment be set aside in its entirety," the OAG said, confirming a report in the Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper.

Michel Platini (C) of France, former president of the Union of European Football Associations, leaves the court after his trial in Bellinzona, Switzerland, July 8, 2022. /CFP
Michel Platini (C) of France, former president of the Union of European Football Associations, leaves the court after his trial in Bellinzona, Switzerland, July 8, 2022. /CFP

Michel Platini (C) of France, former president of the Union of European Football Associations, leaves the court after his trial in Bellinzona, Switzerland, July 8, 2022. /CFP

Blatter, 86, and Platini, 67, were cleared of the allegations that shook world football and torpedoed their time at the top.

Both were accused of fraud and forgery of a document. Blatter was accused of misappropriation and criminal mismanagement, while Platini was accused of participating in those offences.

The court concluded that fraud was "not established with a likelihood bordering on certainty," and therefore applied the general principle of criminal law according to which "the doubt must benefit the accused."

The Swiss Federal Criminal Court rejected the prosecution's request for a suspended prison sentence of a year and eight months.

(With input from agencies)

Read more:

Football chiefs Blatter and Platini acquitted of corruption

Ex-FIFA chief Blatter's fraud trial halted as he's 'too ill to testify'

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