Football: “Fifa owed me this money,” insists Platini on the first day of her appeal trial in Switzerland

They are back! Acquitted at first instance in 2022, Michel Platini, 69, is re-joined this week alongside the former boss of FIFA Sepp Blatter for “scam”, “unfair management”, “breach of trust” and “false in the titles” by the extraordinary court of appeal of the federal criminal tribunal in Muttenz, near Basel. A so -called “suspicious payment” case that had broken the career of the French in 2015.

“I still do not understand why the public prosecutor is on me,” launched the triple Ballon d’Or at the start of his hearing, repeating that he helped the Swiss to conquer the presidency of FIFA in 1998 before becoming his advisor until 2002.

“A contract is a contract, a word is a word”

“He asked me” one million what “, I wanted to joke a bit and said” a million of what you want: rubles, pesetas, reads ». And Mr. Blatter said ” one million Swiss francs “, Continued the former Blues captain.

Mid-1999, while Platini already advised Blatter “without contract or remuneration”, the Valaisan would have said to him: “I cannot pay you a million, I have no money” and the two men would then have agreed for a written agreement for 300,000 Swiss francs per year, fully paid in French.

“He said to me:” I will give you the balance later, when we have fifa money ” “, Continued Platini, who therefore presented in January 2011 an invoice of 2 million Swiss francs to the football body, qualified by the prosecution of” false invoice “intended to defraud the organization.

Would Platini have this request if Blatter had left FIFA’s head? “Absolutely,” replied French. “And if FIFA had not wanted to pay me, I would have made legal proceedings: a contract is a contract, a word is a word. FIFA owed me this money and I would have done everything to recover it ”.