Former FIFA boss Blatter says he is victim of witch hunt ahead of new court hearing

ZURICH : Sepp Blatter, the former head of soccer's global governing body FIFA, is looking forward to clearing his name at a new court hearing into allegations he made corrupt payments to French footballing great Michel Platini.

Blatter, who was president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015, told Reuters on Tuesday he was innocent and the victim of a witch hunt ahead of the appeals hearing on Monday.

Both Blatter and Platini were cleared in 2022 at a lower Swiss court following a seven-year investigation into a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.24 million) payment, a decision contested by Swiss prosecutors.

"The Federal Criminal Court in 2022 said the contract between Platini and me was correct, and I expect the new court will confirm this decision," Blatter told Reuters, adding the appeal was "absolute nonsense".

"It's a witch hunt against me, it feels like a vendetta," the 88-year-old added. "I am completely confident I will be cleared, I'm an honest man."

($1 = 0.8930 Swiss francs)