Platini and Blatter fraud trial set for June

Lausanne (AFP) – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA chief Michel Platini will appear before Swiss prosecutors on charges of fraud between 8-22 June, the criminal court concerned said Tuesday.

This will be the final hearing in a long-running saga that began in 2011 and stems from a payment from FIFA to Platini of 2 million Swiss franc (1.8m euros) for consultancy services.

Platini’s services date from 1998 to 2002 when he had a 300,000 Swiss franc per year deal, payment for which was only made eight years later.

The pair are being investigated  for “disloyal management”, “breach of trust” and “forgery of securities”. 

Blatter was forced to stand down in 2015 and the governing body of world football banned him for eight years, later reduced to six.

The three-time Ballon d’Or winner Platini was suspended from all football-related activities for four years.

The pair are to be questioned one last time before the investigation is concluded.

The charges could carry sentences of five years in jail.