Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini were cleared of corruption charges in July
Swiss federal prosecutors have confirmed that they have filed an appeal to see the acquittals of ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini overturned.
Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court cleared the pair of corruption charges in July following a seven-year investigation that froze them out of football.
Prosecutors said at the time that they would examine the written verdict ahead of deciding whether to appeal against the two men, who once enjoyed major power in the sport.
Blatter and Platini denied any wrongdoing, and a judge found their claims of a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ for world governing body FIFA to pay French football legend Platini 2 million Swiss francs ($1.99 million) for consulting work in 2011 credible.
Serious doubts existed about the prosecution’s allegation that the payment was fraudulent.
But the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) confirmed a report from the Neue Zuercher Zeitung by revealing it has “filed an appeal with the Appeals Chamber of the Federal Criminal Court within the statutory time limit” and that it has requested “the first-instance judgment be set aside in its entirety.”
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