Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter denied approving fraudulent payments to French football legend Michel Platini, telling a Swiss court on Thursday that a cash transfer followed a “gentleman’s agreement” between the pair. Swiss prosecutors accuse the two men, once among football’s most powerful figures, of illegally arranging the 2 million Swiss franc ($2.04 million) payment in 2011. Blatter and Platini both deny the charges.
Blatter gave testimony to the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona after being excused on health grounds on Wednesday.
The 86-year-old said Platini asked to be paid 1 million francs ($1.02 million) per year but Blatter told the him that Fifa could not afford such a salary. Instead they agreed Platini, one of the greatest players of his generation, would be paid 300,000 francs per year, with the outstanding cash to be paid at a later date.
“I knew when we started with Michel Platini that is not the total, and we would look at it later,” Blatter said referring to the agreed 300,000 francs salary for the job of technical consultant.
Sealed with a handshake, Blatter said the arrangement was a so-called “gentleman’s agreement”. “It was an agreement between two sportsmen,” Blatter said. “I found nothing wrong with that.”
Platini signed a written contract with Fifa in 1999, but it specified only a salary of 300,000 francs, with no mention of the extra payments. The former French national team captain told the court he trusted Blatter and believed he would be paid in full eventually.
Fifa’s fragile financial position in the early 2000s meant the organisation could not pay immediately when Platini stopped his work as technical advisor in 2002. Blatter described the organisation as “broke.”
Platini, who led France to victory in the 1984 European Championship, did not pursue the outstanding debt until 2010, telling the court he did not need the money. The 66-year-old decided to claim the money after hearing that two former Fifa employees had received substantial payments.
A verdict is due on July 8. If convicted, Platini and Blatter face up to five years in jail.
