Sepp on brink
FIFA chief to face criminal investigation
FIFA president Sepp Blatter was placed under criminal investigation yesterday as Michel Platini was sensationally dragged into the scandal engulfing football’s world governing body.
Swiss authorities alleged Blatter made a £1.7million payment to UEFA president Platini, the favourite to succeed him in February 2011.
Blatter was also accused of ‘criminal mismanagement or misappropriation’ over a TV rights deal he signed with disgraced former Caribbean football chief Jack Warner in 2005.
Frenchman Platini was questioned in Zurich yesterday, while Blatter — the first FIFA president to be put under criminal investigation in the 111 years world football’s ruling body has existed — faced the ignominy of having his computer data seized and being interrogated inside FIFA offices.
Just when you thought sepp Blatter’s farcical FIFA regime could not plummet to any new lows, it did just t hat yesterday. And in spectacular fashion.
A criminal investigation was started into Blatter himself while Michel Platini, the man touted to take over from him as president, was dragged into the scandal too.
Blatter is under suspicion for criminal mismanagement of FIFA funds, as well making a £1.35million ‘disloyal payment’ to UEFA president Platini, who was the favourite to succeed him as FIFA leader.
On the most significant day yet in the fall of the house of FIFA, both Blatter and Platini, the two most powerful men in world football, are facing suspension.
Blatter had the humiliation of being interrogated inside his own offices by representatives of the swiss attorney general’s office. they also made a search of the FIFA offices with the support of the f ederal criminal police, with Blatter’s own computer data being seized.
At the same time Platini, who was in Zurich for the FIFA executive committee meeting, was asked to provide more information about the seven- figure payment he received from Blatter in February 2011, allegedly made for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002.
under swiss law, a payment is classified as ‘disloyal’ if it is against the best interest of the employer — in this case FIFA.
With secretary general Jerome Valcke having been suspended last week while the ethics committee probe his involvement in World Cup ticket deals that netted him huge profits, FIFA is in total meltdown as never before.
FIFA said they would co-operate with swiss attorney general Michael Lauber’s request for documents, data and other information.
Blatter, who is the first FIFA president to be put under criminal investigation in the 111 years of world football’s ruling body, is suspected of signing a contract with the Caribbean Football union, then ruled by Jack Warner, that gifted the FIFA rogue World Cup TV rights at a knockdown price of £400,000. He later made an alleged £11m profit when he sold them on.
this seismic day started with more than 150 media representatives from around the world gathering at FIFA headquarters for a press conference with Blatter at the end of the two-day executive committee gathering.
the meeting was said to be routine by recent FIFA standards, with members having no knowledge of what was to follow.
the 2pm press briefing was delayed by an hour, which again is common practice in Blatter’s house. But t hen came t he s udden cancellation of the event with just f i ve minutes’ notice and no explanation.
For nearly the length of a football match, while FIFA staff went into lockdown inside their luxury offices, there was only bemused speculation. then at 4.21pm local time came the bombshell statement from the swiss attorney general’s office, complete with the unprecedented headline: ‘Criminal proceedings against the president of FIFA.’
there had been the mass arrests in Zurich on May 27, with 14 football officials facing fraud charges brought by the us Justice Department. But until yesterday afternoon, no one had pointed the finger directly at Blatter, who had told the BBC’s Richard Conway last month: ‘I’m clean, I’m not a worried man.’ He will be now. the attorney general’s statement read: ‘swiss criminal proceedings against the president of FIFA, Mr Joseph Blatter, have been opened on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and alternatively — misappropriation.
‘On the one hand the OAG (Office of the Attorney General) suspects that on september 12, 2005 Blatter s i gned a contract with t he Caribbean Football union (with Jack Warner as the president at this time): this contract was unfavourable for FIFA. On the other hand there is suspicion that, in the implementation of this agreement,
Blatter acted against the interest of FIFA.
‘Additionally Blatter is suspected of a disloyal payment of £1.35m to Michel Platini, president of UEFA, at the expense of FIFA which was allegedly made for consultancy work performed between January 1999 and June 2002. This payment was executed in February 2011.
‘As for all defendants, the presumption of innocence applies for Blatter.’
FIFA responded shortly afterwards: ‘Since May 27, 2015, FIFA has been co- operating with the office of the Swiss attorney general and has complied with all requests for documents, data and other information. We will continue this l evel of co- operation throughout the investigation.’
Blatter’s l awyer Richard Cullen said: ‘ Mr Blatter is co- operating. Certainly no mismanagement occurred. We’re confident that when the Swiss authorities have a chance to review the evidence they will see that the contract (with Warner) was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate staff members of FIFA.’
And Platini insisted: ‘Regarding the payment that was made to me, this amount relates to work which I carried out under a contract with FIFA and I was pleased to have been able to clarify all matters relating to this with the authorities.’
FA chairman Greg Dyke, who has led criticism of Blatter while supporting Platini to take over, said: ‘It is clear that FIFA are in disarray. Last week their secretary general was suspended and this week the president is being interviewed by police.’
Following Valcke’s suspension, executive committee members see it as inevitable that Blatter and Platini will face the same fate while the ethics committee examine the OAG findings.
If that happens Issa Hayatou, president of the African Football Confederation, who has been reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee for accepting an illicit payment, will lead FIFA until a new president is elected in February.
You couldn’t make it up.