Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini to go on trial for fraud in Swiss court

Former Fifa officials Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini will go on trial for fraud and other offences on June 8, Switzerland’s federal criminal court revealed on Tuesday.

The 11-day trial before three judges will begin more than six years after criminal proceedings were opened, first against Blatter for a 2011 payment of $2 million he authorised Fifa to make to Platini.

Platini made a written request to Fifa in January 2011 to be paid backdated additional salary for working as a presidential adviser in Blatter’s first term, from 1998-2002.

The allegations revealed by Swiss federal prosecutors in September 2015 removed Blatter early from the Fifa presidency and ultimately ended Platini’s campaign to succeed him. Platini was also ousted as Uefa president after he was banned from football because of the payment.

Blatter has been charged with fraud, mismanagement, misappropriation of Fifa funds and forgery of a document. Platini has been charged with fraud, misappropriation, forgery and as an accomplice to Blatter’s alleged mismanagement.

Fraud and forgery charges can be punished with jail sentences of up to five years.

Blatter, who turned 86 last month, and Platini, who turns 67 in June, have denied wrongdoing. They have cited a verbal agreement more than 20 years ago for the money to be paid eventually.

When Blatter cleared the Fifa payment in 2011 he was preparing to campaign for re-election in a contest against Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, where Platini’s influence with European voters was seen as a key factor.

“The evidence gathered by the (attorney general’s office) has corroborated that this payment to Platini was made without a legal basis,” federal prosecutors said last year when the two men were indicted.

Although