Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA President Michel Platini have been acquitted on appeal by a Swiss court, clearing them of corruption charges related to their tenures at the helm of world and European football.
The ruling marks the latest legal victory for the two former football executives, who had been accused of financial misconduct stemming from a 2011 payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) authorized by Blatter to Platini.
According to Prosecutors, the payment, made without a written contract, constituted fraud and unlawfully enriched the former UEFA chief.
However, both Blatter and Platini maintained that the transaction was a legitimate compensation for consultancy work, an argument that the Swiss court ultimately upheld.
Their initial acquittal came in July 2022, but Swiss prosecutors appealed the verdict, prolonging the legal battle.
The long-running case against the former football bosses has effectively come to an end.
