After a six-year investigation, prosecutors will not mind too much that the sporting trial of the century got off to a stuttering start yesterday in Bellinzona, Switzerland.

The age and frailty of Sepp Blatter is likely to continue to cause disruption and already the three judges presiding over the case have said that the hearings will only take place until lunchtime each day.

Both Blatter and his co-accused Michel Platini were present in court, both in open-neck shirts, but when Blatter, who is 86 years old, was called to testify he said that he was suffering from chest pains and was having difficulty breathing.

He spoke in a whisper and the judge allowed for him to take an additional 24 hours before taking to the stand today. Quite what changes to his health or the level of stress he is under will be possible in that period is hard to judge but the trial is only scheduled to run until June 22nd so we can only imagine there will be contingencies being considered.

Like any good trial drama, there were a number of motions questioning the right of the court to conduct the trial and questioning the presence of FIFA as part of the prosecution.

All were dismissed in efficient swiss-style and so the attention of the world is paused, ready to re-engage later today.

The charges the two former football administrators face are of illegally securing payment of 2 Million Swiss Francs to the detriment of FIFA, as well as embezzlement, fraud, unfaithful business practice and forgery.

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