Ex-Soccer Bosses Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini Acquitted In FIFA Corruption Trial
ForbesDec 27, 2022
Former FIFA, UEFA Presidents Found Not Guilty of Fraud
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Image copyright:Â Reuters [via The Indian Express]
The Facts
On Fri., a Swiss court cleared former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini of fraud over a 2M Swiss francs payment from Blatter to Platini in 2011.
News of the payment emerged after an investigation by the US Department of Justice into corruption and malpractice at FIFA was launched in 2015.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The case against Blatter and Platini is just one among many scandals involving senior leaders of sports federations based in Switzerland, and the court's decision only highlights the Swiss law's inability to hold corrupt executives accountable. This has to change.
Pro-establishment narrative
Defendants are innocent until proven guilty, and in this case there was simply not enough evidence to charge Blatter or Platini. The court made the right decision to uphold the rule of law and side with the accused.
