Prosecutor calls for suspended sentence for Blatter, Platini

BELLINZONA (Switzerland): The Swiss prosecutor's office on Wednesday demanded a 20-month suspended jail sentence for Michel Platini and ex-president of FIFA Sepp Blatter, accusing them of fraud. Blatter and Platini are being tried over a two-million-Swiss-franc ($2 million) payment in 2011 to the former France captain, who by that time was in charge of European football's governing body UEFA. The prosecutor's demand is more lenient than he could have asked for -- a maximum of five years in prison if found guilty.

The prosecution accuses Blatter of having signed off an invoice for two million Swiss francs presented to FIFA by Platini in 2011, almost nine years after the end of his work as Blatter's adviser. Giving evidence at the start of the trial last week, Blatter said he had struck a "gentleman's agreement" with Platini to pay him the money. Platini was employed as an adviser to Blatter between 1998 and 2002.

They signed a contract in 1999 for an annual remuneration of 300,000 Swiss francs, which was paid in full by FIFA. But they claimed that they had agreed to pay an additional 700,000 annual francs when the finances of the organisation would allow it. Hence Platini presented an invoice for two million Swiss francs at the beginning of 2011, signed by Sepp Blatter and presented to FIFA as an outstanding part of the salary.