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Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter arrives at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland
Photo:
Alessandro Crinari / dpa
The interrogation of Joseph Blatter in the trial of allegations of fraud and other offenses against him and Michel Platini has been postponed.
The 86-year-old former Fifa president reported health problems to the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, Switzerland, on Wednesday afternoon.
“High Court, I am not well.
I have a complaint that comes back, then I can't breathe properly either.
I don't feel able to answer,' Blatter said.
According to lawyer Lorenz Erni, his client has chest pains and breathing difficulties.
Blatter's interrogation is now to take place on Thursday, as is the testimony of former Uefa President Michel Platini.
The background is the investigation into a payment of two million Swiss francs to Platini in 2011 for allegedly long-past consulting activities.
The Swiss authorities have been investigating this since 2015.
The case ended the Blatter era
Blatter was President of FIFA for 17 years.
Platini was considered his designated successor.
When the payment became known in September 2015 and the authorities began their investigation, it led to Blatter's early dismissal as Fifa President and ended the campaign by then-UEFA President Platini to succeed his former mentor.
Fifa banned both for eight years.
These bans were reduced to six years in February of the following year.
Platini's suspension was later reduced to four years, at the same time he announced his resignation as Uefa President.
This ban has now expired.
It's about Platini's written request to Fifa in January 2011 to receive retrospective additional salary for his work as presidential adviser in Blatter's first term of office from 1998 to 2002.
Blatter authorized Fifa to make the payment within a few weeks.
He was gearing up for re-election against Qatar's Mohamed bin Hammam, with Platini's impact on European voters a key factor.
Both Blatter and Platini have long denied wrongdoing, citing a verbal agreement they made more than 20 years ago to pay the money.
In the process, Blatter and Platini are accused of having deceived FIFA.
Blatter is charged with fraud, mismanagement, embezzlement of Fifa funds and forgery, Platini with fraud, embezzlement, forgery and aiding and abetting Blatter's alleged mismanagement.
mey/dpa