For a handful of Swiss francs.
The fraud trial of ex-UEFA president Michel Platini and ex-Fifa president Sepp Blatter turned Thursday, June 9 into a clash of cultures between the backstage of world football and justice Swiss.
"When Sepp Blatter asked me to be his adviser, he asked me what salary I wanted. I was surprised he asked me that question and I said to him, 'I want a million'", tells the triple Ballon d'Or, 66, on the second day of the trial before the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona.
"Sepp said to me 'a million what?' And I, for fun, said 'pesetas, liras, rubles, marks, you decide'. He told me : 'Ok, a million Swiss francs'", continues the ex-captain of the Blues, your mischievous remembering having "succumbed to the charisma" of the Swiss to bring him to the presidency of Fifa, in 1998.
Silent for a few seconds, President Joséphine Contu Albrizio hesitates, then makes sure that the former boss of UEFA (2007-2015), who seemed destined to take the helm of Fifa in turn until his misadventures courts did not dismiss it in 2015, understood "the differences in values" between currencies.
A "baseless" payment, according to the prosecution
"I had never been in an administration like Fifa, I don't know how it works […]. I answered like that, a million", sweeps the ex-darling of world football, the first to combine to this degree, until his fall, sporting glory and political responsibilities.
However, the credibility of his story – reinforced by that of Sepp Blatter – is at the heart of the trial of the two men for a suspicious payment of 2 million Swiss francs (1.8 million euros) granted to the French by Fifa in 2011 .
For the defendants, it is about the "balance", admittedly late, of the remuneration agreed between them for the work of adviser carried out by Platini between 1998 and 2002, consisting in assisting Blatter in his political displacements, helping the federations financially and reforming the international calendar.
But the prosecution sees it as an "unfounded" payment, obtained by "cleverly misleading" FIFA's internal controls through false assertions by the two allies, a fraud punishable by five years in prison.
The prosecution notes in particular the contradiction with the only contract signed between the two men, in August 1999, providing for remuneration of 300,000 Swiss francs [approximately 285,000 euros] per year which had been settled by the authority of Zurich.
Michel Platini "was worth his million"
But Blatter like Platini give another reading of this document, a temporary arrangement in the face of the then fragile finances of Fifa.
"[Platini] said to me: 'That's not all' and I answered him 'The rest will come later'", told the court the 86-year-old Swiss.
"I simply had this man at home and he was worth his million", continued the deposed king of world football, tired at the end of the hearing on Wednesday, but very alert on Thursday morning, confirming a "gentlemen's agreement" concluded orally, without witnesses, and never provisioned in the accounts of Fifa.
Another reason for perplexity for the magistrates, the miscalculation of Michel Platini, who ended up claiming from Fifa 500,000 Swiss francs [480,000 euros approximately] of pay per year and therefore forgot 200,000, for lack of having checked how much he had already touched.
"It's me, I was wrong," admits the Frenchman as laughter crosses the courtroom.
“I realized this when the prosecutor showed me the 1999 contract during the interrogation”.
The president nevertheless insists: why did you never bother to mention the balance still to be paid?
"I trusted the person. And you will understand that, in our discussions, I did not feel concerned by the money, because since the age of 17, I earn my living very well".
The hearing is scheduled to continue until June 22, with a decision expected on July 8.
With AFP
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