FIFA suing Blatter, Platini to recoup ´undue payment´

FIFA is suing former its former president Sepp Blatter and ex-vice president Michel Platini in an attempt to reclaim a €1.8million “gift” the Swiss Federal Supreme Court called an “undue payment”.

The 2011 payment, which was given to Platini, led to both men receiving substantial bans from football activities in 2015.

After appeals, Blatter’s ban was reduced to six years and Platini’s came down to four years, with both originally set at eight.

FIFA’s governance committee last month ruled the world’s governing body was “duty-bound to try to recover the funds”, which Blatter and Platini had claimed were paid under an oral agreement, rather than being written into contract.

And following backing by Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court, FIFA has filed claims against the disgraced former dignitaries.

A FIFA statement read: “FIFA has today filed claims in the relevant Swiss courts against former FIFA president Joseph Blatter and former FIFA vice-president Michel Platini, seeking restitution of the CHF 2 million unduly paid to Mr Platini back in February 2011.

“This follows the unanimous resolution recently adopted by the FIFA governance committee in which it emphasised that FIFA was duty-bound to try to recover the funds illicitly paid by one former official to another.

“Even the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has confirmed that this CHF 2 million [€1.8m] gift was to be viewed as an ‘undue payment’.

“If and when successfully recovered, these funds (together with interest) will be fully channelled back into football development, which is where the money should have gone in the first place.”