ZURICH — The FIFA scandal Friday engulfed Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the two most powerful figures in world football with Swiss prosecutors investigating an illegal two million dollar payment from Blatter to the French legend. Swiss investigators opened criminal proceedings against FIFA president Blatter and searched his office and also quizzed his UEFA counterpart Platini. "Swiss criminal proceedings against the President of FIFA, Mr. Joseph Blatter, have been opened on 24 September 2015 on suspicion of criminal mismanagement...and - alternatively - misappropriation," said a statement from Switzerland's attorney general's office (OAG). Blatter, 79, is standing down because of corruption scandals involving other top officials and Platini had been favorite to win an election to be held in February to succeed him. The Swiss prosecutor said in a statement that "the defendant Joseph Blatter" had been questioned and "the office of the FIFA President has been searched and data seized." Blatter was questioned as "a suspect". The statement added that Platini had been questioned "as a person called upon to give information." Platini, 60, has been head of UEFA since January 2007 which made him an automatic FIFA vice president. His office refused to make an immediate comment on the Swiss case. Blatter "is suspected of making a disloyal payment of 2.0 million Swiss francs ($2.04 million/1.8 million euros) to Michel Platini, president of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), at the expense of FIFA," the office said. The alleged payment was made in February 2011 "for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002." Platini is a former Blatter ally who turned against the veteran Swiss sports baron over the past 18 months as FIFA's troubles mounted. The investigation is also into Blatter's links with Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president now at the center of a US investigation into football corruption. The attorney general said Blatter was suspected of making a deal "unfavorable to FIFA" with the Caribbean Football Union, which Warner used as his power base. Blatter's lawyer, however, said Friday that a review of the evidence against the FIFA chief will show that he was not responsible for any mismanagement "Mr. Blatter is cooperating and we are confident that when the Swiss authorities have a chance to review the documents and the evidence they will see that the contract was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate staff members of FIFA", said a statement by Richard Cullen, a defense lawyer based in Virginia. "Certainly no mismanagement occurred." A Trinidad court Friday announced that it would rule on Dec. 2 on whether Warner should be extradited to the United States. The court rejected Warner's request to be freed. Warner is one of 14 soccer officials and business executives charged by US prosecutors of involvement in more than $150 million in bribes for football broadcasting and marketing deals. Nearly all of the suspects are from central and south America. Until recent days, FIFA's top leadership had escaped accusations flying around the world body, which earns $5 billion from the World Cup. Swiss officials arrested seven FIFA officials, who are among the US suspects, on May 27 in Zurich just ahead of the world body's congress. Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term at the congress despite the storm but then announced on June 4 that he would stand down. Since then FIFA has announced steps to make reforms but been shaken by new corruption claims. FIFA this month suspended Blatter's right-hand man Jerome Valcke after he was accused of involvement in an accord to sell tickets for the 2014 World Cup at inflated prices. Valcke strongly denied the allegations but FIFA handed over emails from the suspended secretary general that had been demanded by the Swiss attorney general. He is also under suspicion over what he knew about a $10 million payment from the South African FA to an account controlled by Warner through FIFA in 2008. US prosecutors believe it was a bribe intended to get Caribbean support for South Africa's bid for 2010 World Cup. Swiss prosecutors are also looking into FIFA's award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. Both have strongly denied any wrongdoing in their campaigns to secure the tournaments. US attorney general Loretta Lynch made it clear this month that her department's inquiry was growing and more major charges could be expected. — Agencies
