Special court throws FIFA out of procedure against Blatter and Platini

In the criminal judicial center in Muttenz BL, the appeal procedure in the fraud process against the former FIFA-Grössen Sepp Blatter, 88, and Michel Platini, 69, started on Monday with a bang: The court of Gianni Infantino throws the FIFA out of the process.

This decision opened the Basel bidder Roland Hofmann shortly before noon, who presides the extraordinary appeal chamber. He was called an application from Dominic Nellen Gut, the lawyer of the former football star Platini.

Background: FIFA had contested the acquittals in the first instance of Blatter and Platini, but was then literally dipped. FIFA could be dispensed for the whole second instance procedure without giving reasons. Despite the warning of the court, she had never justified her appointment in writing.

With its behavior, the FIFA in fact, a so -called follow -up profession, had in fact withdrawn, judge Hofmann clarified. The FIFA is out of the procedure. She will not be able to contest the Muttenz judgment.

While the FIFA has dipped and does not respond to media inquiries, the accused are present in Muttenz. Ex-uefa boss Platini has come from France, Blatter does the hardships despite the chicken health.

« I am innocent and ask the court to stay right, » said Blatter in the survey. As in the first instance, he told the background of the controversial payment of 2 million in his view. The three judges asked critically: Why was there only an oral and no written contract? There was no new findings. « It's just like that, it was great and also right, » said Blatter.

The short survey of Platini also showed nothing new. Blatter asked him how much he wanted to earn as a consultant, and he said: a million of whatever. Blatter then said: « So a million Swiss francs. » Initially, however, the then clammy FIFA could only pay him CHF 300,000. When FIFA later had a lot of money, he requested the payment.

Ruard: Prosecutor wants journalists as a witness

The federal prosecutor of the federal government, Thomas Hildbrand. He asked to take a recently published article from the “Le Monde” newspaper and to question the author of the article, who is a journalist in Muttenz, as a witness. The latter had written that the payment to Platini was possibly related to a TV contract, according to French investigations.

This in turn brought Blatter's lawyer Lorenz Erni on the scene. The journalist is not the « auxiliary forecast of the Federal Prosecutor's Office ». This is obviously desperate. Plati's lawyer also said how desperate the prosecutor was if he had to use a newspaper article. So he didn't mind taking the script for the files.

The court decided to take the article on the files and at most to decide later to ask the French journalist as witnesses.

In the afternoon, the court listened to the former FIFA financial chief Markus Kattner for disputed payment. He essentially confirmed his statements from the lower court.

The process continues on Tuesday, which should actually take place at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona. Because Olivier Thormann, President of the Commerce of Appeals there, was involved in the opening of the criminal proceedings and was sent to the strand with his entire chamber, a special court had to be used by lottery.

This is how the process takes place in Muttenz, and the Basel bidders push at limits. Around thirty media people follow the negotiations on a side room on a monitor set for two weeks because the courtroom is too small. Journalists who do not speak German are throated due to the lack of simultaneous translation

In the first instance, Blatter and Platini were acquitted by the Federal Criminal Court in June 2022: The controversial payment of CHF 2 million to Michel Platini for consulting services was therefore legal. Although there was only an oral contract. The Federal Prosecutor's office appealed, which FIFA hung up in the back.