The Paper's reporter Pu Yaolei
Blatter was thrown "dollars" directly by protesters at the press conference.
After leaving the power stage in the football world, the name of former FIFA president Blatter has been gradually forgotten, but the 85-year-old still cannot get a peaceful life.
On November 3, according to the Associated Press and other media reports, on Tuesday, Blatter and his former UEFA president Platini, who had worked together, were charged with fraud by Swiss prosecutors and will be tried for this.
Blatter has been "out of the woods" for 6 years since he stepped down in 2015 due to the FIFA corruption case, but it seems that simply handing over power is not enough, and Blatter may also face jail time.
Could 85-year-old Blatter go to jail?
He was charged with criminal charges for the first time since stepping down
FIFA set off an anti-corruption storm in 2015, with the arrest of a number of senior officials and the ouster of former FIFA president Blatter, who was banned from football for 8 years, which was shortened to 6 years after appeal.
But the punishment Blatter faced didn't end there. In March, as the six-year "ban" period was about to expire, Blatter was granted a six-year and eight-month "ban" from FIFA and fined 1 million Swiss francs, almost equivalent to a "lifetime stay".
But that's still not the whole punishment Blatter faces.
According to the Associated Press and other media reports, on Tuesday, Blatter and his former UEFA president Platini, who had worked with him, were charged with fraud by Swiss prosecutors, which is the first time that Blatter has faced formal criminal charges from the procuratorate since he stepped down.
They are accused of arranging in 2011 to pay Platini about 2 million Swiss francs, a sum that is not nominal and is suspected of being used to "buy" support for the other side in the election.
Swiss prosecutors said the funds "have no reasonable legal basis": "This payment damaged FIFA's assets and allowed Platini to profit illegally." ”
At present, the Swiss prosecutors have not said when the case will be tried, and once convicted, Blatter may face not only "grounding", but imprisonment.
Platini and Blatter.
Blatter and Platini pleaded not guilty
Mr. Blatter's attitude toward the prosecution's allegations remained the same as when he first stepped down, which was to deny them.
In a previous interview, Blatter said that the money was just a verbal agreement between himself and Platini as a reward for inviting the other party to work at FIFA, and he still insists on this statement: "There is nothing wrong with this, just a late payment for labor." ”
And Platini directly pointed the finger at the current FIFA president Infantino, saying that he would fight these "completely unfair and unfounded allegations" to the end: "They have been constantly trying to involve me in the case, and my good character was recognized." ”
For Blatter, this may not be the last time he will be charged with a crime. In addition to the CHF 2 million between him and Platini, Swiss prosecutors are also investigating a $1 million loan that FIFA provided to the Falun Gong of Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.
The loan was reportedly unsecured and was quickly "written off" by Blatter, essentially becoming a subsidy.
In December 2020, FIFA also filed a lawsuit with the Swiss prosecutor, accusing former FIFA president Blatter of alleged violations in the World Football Museum project.
FIFA said in a financial report that they suspected that Blatter and some of his men had "mismanagement involving crimes" in the construction costs of the museum, as well as long-term leases, and that there was evidence that Blatter had been involved in the signing of the museum's construction agreement in violation of the law.
Your health is deteriorating
For many years after stepping down, Blatter has been "stubborn" and once said that he was too successful to suffer from external jealousy and attacks.
But compared with the power struggle that has become a thing of the past, he is already 85 years old, and perhaps what needs to be worried about his health more now is his health.
At the end of 2020, Blatter was infected with the new crown, and in early January this year, Blatter was rushed to the hospital for treatment, when the media said that his condition was very critical. His daughter, Corinne Blatter, said at the time: "You can imagine he's been under tremendous pressure. ”
Corinne revealed that after overcoming the new crown infection, Blatter began to have frequent heart problems: "Everything became more complicated and dangerous, and he spent more than a week in total in induced coma, unable to communicate with people. He has won the right to enjoy the rest of his life instead of constantly being hit by his former employer. ”
But even as his health declines and the legal pursuit continues, for Blatter, he seems doomed to his old age.
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas