BLATTER AND PLATINI CLEARED

FORMER FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini were cleared of corruption charges by a Swiss court yesterday after a sevenyear investigation during which they were booted out of the sport. A judge at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona said the pair’s account of a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ for FIFA to pay Platini two million Swiss francs (£1.7m) in 2011 for consulting work was credible, and serious doubts existed about the prosecution’s allegation it was a fraudulent payment. Swiss federal prosecutors will examine the written verdict before deciding whether to appeal. Blatter, 86, said: ‘I have always said my conscience is clear.’