Home Football ‘I am soccer’, Sepp Blatter says as fraud trial commences

‘I am soccer’, Sepp Blatter says as fraud trial commences

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Former FIFA and UEFA presidents, Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have arrived at a Swiss criminal court for the start of their 11-day trial on charges of defrauding world football’s governing body FIFA.

Once the most powerful man in the world of football is facing charges of defrauding FIFA.

86-year-old Blatter is on trial along with France’s ex-international Platini, who was considered the successor to Blatter as president of the governing body.

Platini sat with an interpreter a row behind Blatter who was also in court on Wednesday, sitting on a long bench in the court in Bellinzona before three judges on the opening day of his criminal trial

When asked about his chances of winning, Blatter confidently said: “Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely.”

“I feel optimistic, like always. With the beautiful sunshine. It’s the first day of a trial that’s going to last almost two weeks. If I didn’t feel confident the first day that would be bad. I am very confident.”

The Swiss’s 17-year reign as FIFA president ended in June 2015 after he resigned amid a corruption scandal.

A few months later, the federal prosecutors in Switzerland revealed their investigation into a two million dollar (€1.87 million) payment from FIFA to Platini four years earlier.

Both Blatter and Platini have long denied wrongdoing and claim they had a verbal deal in 1998 for the money.

That defence first failed with judges at the FIFA ethics committee, which banned them from football, and later in separate appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“Is soccer by my side? Soccer is me. It’s been 45 years that I’ve been serving FIFA, international soccer. And it’s my life, it’s my professional life,” Blatter added.

“I now have to defend myself a bit, but I will defend myself well, with a lawyer and that’s it because I have a clean conscience.”

Platini’s campaign to succeed his mentor ended when the case fell out and was eventually removed as the President of the European football governing body, UEFA.

The trial is expected to last 11 days and the court will sit only until lunchtime each day because of Blatter’s health. He was in a coma following heart surgery 18 months ago.

The three federal judges hearing the case are scheduled to deliver their verdict on July 8th.

Blatter and Platini could each face up to five years in prison, but suspended sentences are a likely option if they are convicted.

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