Swiss prosecutors have formally closed the long-running criminal case against former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini, bringing an end to a saga that has overshadowed football’s governance for more than a decade.
The Office of the Attorney General confirmed on Thursday that the case — centred on a 2011 payment of 2 million Swiss francs (£1.6m/$2.2m) from FIFA to Platini — has been terminated following the pair’s acquittals in two separate trials.
Blatter and Platini were first cleared in July 2022, and again in March 2025 after a retrial in Muttenz, Switzerland. Both courts accepted their explanation that the payment was the result of a verbal “gentlemen’s agreement” for advisory work Platini had carried out between 1998 and 2002.
Reacting to the latest ruling, Platini declared:
“The persecution of FIFA and some Swiss federal prosecutors for 10 years is now over. Today, my honour has returned and I am very happy.”
Blatter, now 89, spoke emotionally about the toll the case had taken on his family: “You have seen my daughter was coming with tears because she believed in (her) father and I believed in myself. To wait such a long time affects the person and my family was very much affected.”
Platini’s lawyer, Dominic Nellen, welcomed the closure, saying in a statement: “Michel Platini must finally be left in peace in criminal matters. After two acquittals, even the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland must realise that these criminal proceedings have definitively failed.”
The attorney general’s office said the decision “closes another chapter in the complex procedures related to football,” signalling no further appeals or legal action would follow.
The scandal forced both men out of football leadership in 2015 — Blatter resigning as FIFA president amid corruption turmoil, and Platini stepping down as UEFA president while facing a FIFA ban. While their legal names have now been cleared, the controversy has left lasting damage on their reputations and reshaped global football politics.
Boluwatife Enome
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