The Free Press Journal

Platini quizzed in Swiss investigat­ion

- ASSOCIOATE­D PRESS

Soccer great Michel Platini arrived at Switzerlan­d's federal prosecutio­n office Monday morning to be questioned about a $2 million payment he received from FIFA in 2011.

Platini is for mally a suspect because of the payment that led to his removal as president of European soccer body UEFA, and as a candidate to lead FIFA, when Swiss federal investigat­ors revealed the allegation five years ago.

The 65-year-old ex-France captain is suspected of being an accomplice to criminal mismanagem­ent, of misappropr­iation and an act of forgery, according to documents seen in June by The Associated Press.

Platini, a for mer FIFA vice president, did not comment on the case Monday when he walked into the prosecutio­n headquarte­rs.

Sepp Blatter, the 84-yearold for mer FIFA president who authorised Platini getting the money as deferred salary for work as his adviser a decade earlier, is due to be questioned Tuesday in Bern.

A criminal proceeding has been open against Blatter for the Platini payment since September 2015 when federal police questioned both men in an unannounce­d visit to FIFA offices in Zurich on the day they attended an executive committee meeting.

Both men were provisiona­lly suspended from soccer, then banned by FIFA's ethics committee. Blatter's 18-year presidency of soccer's inter national gover ning body was ended by the case and his six-year ban runs until October next year.

Platini submitted invoices to FIFA in January 2011 seeking payment for additional salary for advising in Blatter's first presidenti­al ter m, from 1998-2002.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India