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Fifa: overwhelming police report for Blatter, yet partially whitewashed

2020-04-29T18:47:25.101Z



A police report obtained Wednesday by AFP ensures that the suspicions of "unfair management" against Sepp Blatter "were well founded" even if the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Swiss Confederation (MPC) has decided to close one of the two investigations targeting the ex-president of Fifa.

Read also: Football - Swiss justice closes proceedings against Sepp Blatter

MPC suspected Blatter of having signed a "contract unfavorable to FIFA" with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) then led by the sulphurous Trinidadian Jack Warner, struck off for life by the International Federation and charged with corruption by the American justice .

Terminated in 2011, this contract granted the television rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups to the CFU for 600,000 dollars (536,000 euros), an amount judged below market price.

"Mr. Blatter acted more for the interests of Mr. Warner than for those of Fifa, "say the investigators in reports finalized between December 2019 and January 2020." By not asserting a claim by Fifa against the CFU when became aware of the illicit sublicence arrangement, Mr. Blatter accepted that Mr. Warner therefore enriches himself illegally at the expense of Fifa ”, add the investigators.

As a result of "the inaction of Mr. Blatter against the CFU or Mr. Warner, Fifa suffered damage amounting to 3.78 million dollars (3.48 M EUR)," said the report.

However, the MPC confirmed in early April that it did not intend to prosecute the ousted 84-year-old boss of the International Football Federation for granting television rights to the CFU, one of the two parts of the proceedings opened against him in 2015, for “suspicion of unfair management and breach of trust”.

A payment of 2 million to Platini

Contacted by AFP on Wednesday, Mr. Blatter said he did not want to "comment." "This procedure concerning the contract with the CFU was opened at the same time as that concerning the payment to Platini and dates from September 2015. Since then I have not been questioned on either case", he just add.

The criminal proceedings opened against Mr. Blatter also relate to a late payment, without written record, of 2 million Swiss francs (1.88 M EUR) to Michel Platini. This payment earned the two men a several-year suspension from all football-related activity and prevented Platini from running for president of Fifa to succeed Switzerland. In May 2018, Platini was exonerated by the Swiss courts.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-04-29

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