Soccer’s top governing body has sued its former president Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the ex-chief of Europe’s soccer federation, to reclaim 2 million Swiss francs ($2.04 million) in improper payments.
FIFA filed claims in relevant Swiss courts to seek the money after its governance committee decided it was “duty-bound to try to recover the funds illicitly” paid by Blatter to Platini, the sports body said in a statement on Monday. Any money recovered will be channelled back into soccer development, it said.
FIFA in 2016 banned both men from any soccer-related events for six years following investigations into how Blatter, who ran the organization for nearly two decades, paid the cash to former French national team star Platini.
READ ALSO: FIFA to take legal action against Blatter, Platini
Blatter and Platini have previously denied wrongdoing, saying the payment fulfilled a verbal contract between the pair for services Frenchman provided to FIFA from 1998 to 2002.
Lawyers for the pair weren’t immediately available for comment.
FIFA backed up its legal filing by citing Switzerland’s Supreme Court which had ruled the 2 million francs as “undue payment.”
Leave a Reply