Sepp Blatter during his trial: Platini “was worth his million”

The second day of the trial of Sepp Blatter (86 years old) and Michel Platini (66 years old) started with the hearing of the Swiss, this Thursday morning, at the Federal Criminal Court (TPF) in Bellinzona. This interrogation of the former FIFA president (1998-2015), which had been postponed on Wednesday, lasted 1 hour 10 minutes and ended shortly before 10 a.m. with a refusal to answer the Geneva lawyer for the world body during this trial, Me Hohl-Chirazi. Me Catherine Hohl-Chirazi, on her arrival on the second day of the trial, this Thursday. (F. Faugère/L’Équipe) Asked about the famous invoice of two million Swiss francs, at the heart of this supposedly unfair payment file, Blatter replied: “I will not answer FIFA’s questions because since March 2016 , the president of FIFA (Gianni Infantino, who had just been elected) never answered me”, decided Blatter, during this short battle. Previously, the Haut-Valaisan had maintained his version: that of an “oral contract” initially signed between him and Platini, of a payment of salary arrears and of an invoice which was known, according to him, within the FIFA bodies. “I just had this man in my house and he was worth his million,” said the ex-world football boss. “When I was elected president of Fifa, we had a bad record. But I said to myself that a man who has been in football could help us, Fifa and myself, he said. Michel Platini told me ”I’m worth a million”. I said to him: ”So you will be with me for a million”. “An “administrative case” according to Haut-Valaisan In the introduction to his statement to the three judges of the TPF criminal court, Blatter had considered “totally incomprehensible” to find himself before such a court, for a file which concerns, according to him, of an “administrative matter, within an association, to be dealt with by civil law”. But the Swiss also said he was satisfied to be able to explain himself to the judges. “In fact, I have already been punished for seven years (the beginning of the criminal procedure against him dates from the end of September 2015), it is like an eternity. I only needed one hand to count my friends. I am happy to be here and that it can end”. Shortly after 10:15 a.m., Michel Platini took the place of his ex-mentor, seated on a chair, in the middle of the courtroom, facing the three judges, and was in turn subjected to questions from the president of the court. .