Governing Bodies
Ex-Fifa boss Blatter ‘happy’ after meeting Swiss prosecutor in payment probe
Former world football chief Sepp Blatter on Monday (Aug 9) met a Swiss prosecutor investigating suspected fraud surrounding a Fifa payment to Michel Platini, as the long-running probe inches towards a conclusion.
The 85-year-old former Fifa president is being investigated over a two million Swiss franc (S$3.25 million) payment in 2011 to Platini, who was then in charge of European football’s governing body Uefa.
In a statement ahead of the hearing, Blatter said he was going into the session with optimism.
After the interview at the federal prosecutor’s office in Zurich, the city where the global football governing body has its headquarters, Blatter said he would return on Tuesday to resume the final hearing in the investigation.
“It is a normal audience. It’s the first part. The second part will be tomorrow,” he told journalists waiting outside.
“It was in a good spirit.”
Blatter, who was accompanied by his lawyer Lorenzo Erni, said he would spend the rest of the day resting and working. He smiled and waved as he was driven away.
His spokesman Thomas Renggli told AFP that Fifa had a lawyer present at Monday’s meeting.
“It’s over for today, but it will continue tomorrow. Mr Blatter is happy. He said it has gone well so far,” Renggli said. “He hopes the hearing ends tomorrow.”
The hearing with a federal prosecutor from the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) of Switzerland was postponed to this week due to the retired Swiss football administrator’s health.
He spent two months in hospital in December and January after undergoing heart surgery, and in March was convalescing in a clinic.
Due to Blatter’s condition, he was only meant to spend around 90 minutes with the prosecutor on Monday. But he spent more than two and a half hours inside and said he would return on Tuesday.
‘Fraud, breach of trust’
Joseph “Sepp” Blatter joined Fifa in 1975, became its general secretary in 1981 and president in 1998.
He was forced to stand down in 2015 and was originally banned by Fifa for eight years, later reduced to six, over ethics breaches when he authorised what prosecutors termed a “disloyal payment” to Platini – in other words, one made in his own interests rather than Fifa’s.
Blatter and Platini, 66, found themselves at the centre of a Swiss federal investigation.
“Specifically, the criminal proceedings against Joseph Blatter are now being conducted on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust and unfaithful business management,” the OAG said in a statement ahead of Monday’s hearing.
“The criminal proceedings against Michel Platini are being conducted on suspicion of fraud, participation in breach of trust, participation in unfaithful management and false documents.”
Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, in lengthy and complex proceedings, suspects “are questioned one last time before the investigation is concluded, and asked to comment on the results of the investigation”, the OAG added.
“Conducting final interviews does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the outcome of criminal proceedings (discontinuation, penalty order or indictment).”
‘Late payment of wages’
While Blatter’s final hearings with the prosecutor were postponed to August, Platini’s took place in March.
Blatter insisted that the payment to former France and Juventus attacking midfielder Platini, considered among world football’s greatest players, was above board.
“It was based on an oral contract that regulated Platini’s advisory activities for Fifa between 1998 and 2002,” he said.
“The process was correctly declared as a late payment of wages.”
The OAG said the presumption of innocence applied to all parties in the proceedings and it could not put a time frame on concluding the investigation.
–AFP
FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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