FIFA seeks to recover $2M from Blatter, Platini

By Fatih Erel

ISTANBUL (AA) - FIFA on Monday took a legal action against their former President Sepp Blatter and former Vice President Michel Platini to recover about $2 million which the football body claimed "unduly paid" to Platini in 2011.

"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 [$2.04] unduly paid to Mr Platini back in February 2011," football’s world governing body said in a statement.

"This follows the unanimous resolution recently adopted by the FIFA Governance Committee in which it emphasized 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 gift was to be viewed as an 'undue payment'," FIFA said.

FIFA went into crisis in May 2015 when police swooped on Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, to arrest the FIFA members in a corruption investigation that has rocked the sport.

FIFA’s suspended head Blatter is also under investigation by Swiss authorities in a separate inquiry.

In November 2015, FIFA’s ethics committee launched formal proceedings against Blatter and Platini.

Proceedings against the two were primarily related to a payment of $2 million transferred in February 2011 from FIFA to Platini.

"Blatter, in his position as president of FIFA, authorized the payment to Platini which had no legal basis in the written agreement signed between both officials on 25 August 1999. Platini’s assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber," FIFA said in December 2015.