The sporting trial of the century begins today in Bellinzona, a small town in Switzerland, roughly the size of Drogheda.
Standing before the panel of three judges in the courthouse above, on charges of illegally securing payment of 2 Million Swiss Francs to the detriment of FIFA, as well as embezzlement, fraud, unfaithful business practice and forgery, will be Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, once football and international sports two most powerful administrators.
The trial is expected to last for two weeks, with a verdict on July 8th and while it may not have the salacious details of the Jonny Depp and Amber Heard trial, it is sure to produce drama to match many of the FIFA World Cup Finals those in the dock oversaw.
“I view the proceedings at the federal criminal court with optimism — and hope that, with this, this story will come to an end and all the facts will be worked through cleanly,” said Blatter on the eve of the trial.
The 86 year old is expected to give evidence before the panel of three judges starting today with Platini’s time in the dock to commence on Friday.
One can only imagine the legal bills that have been racked up on all sides since the knock on the door from swiss investigators that got the ball rolling back in 2015.
Platini was banned from all aspects of football for four years and has kept a low profile since that penalty ran its course in 2019. Blatter’s ban was extended to 2027 last year by FIFA’s Ethics Committee who said at the time that his behaviour was ‘completely reprehensible.’ Not likely to be called as character witnesses then.
Technically the payment in question was on foot of an invoice submitted in 2011 for work undertaken by Platini between 1998 and 2002 but that itself is in breach of regulations which only permit such claims to be made within five years of the date.
How far the trial might veer into the work that went on, the potential questions over awarding of major tournaments and more will rest with the protagonists and may emerge as a result of one of the accused feeling it was to their advantage to besmirch the reputation and practice of their one-time ally.
We will be watching the goings-on like a good Netflix legal drama and will update you as the evidence unfolds…
Sport for Business Partners
