The fraud trial involving former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA head Michel Platini over alleged corrupt payments came to a halt on Wednesday after the former fell ill and couldn’t testify. The trial has now been delayed by a day.
Prior to entering the courtroom in Switzerland, the former FIFA president claimed on Wednesday that he was bothered by chest trials and had difficulty breathing. Therefore, he was unable to testify on the opening day of his criminal trial.
The Swiss is facing charges of defrauding FIFA in a Swiss criminal court. He is joined by former UEFA boss Michel Platini, who was considered his protégé and had been viewed as a successor to the president of football’s world governing body.
Swiss prosecutors have accused the pair of unlawfully arranging a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.08 million) in 2011. Both Blatter and Platini continue to deny the charges.
86-year-old Blatter was set to be questioned and was called to the stand about and hour before the court was scheduled to adjourn on the opening day.
Several motions from the defence were rejected, and Blatter instead asked to answer the questions on Thursday morning when Platini will also take the stand. On Wednesday, Platini was also in court, sitting with a translator behind the former president.
“I’m not well. I have these problems that come and go. The pain will come back and I am having difficulty breathing. I can’t breathe well. I don’t feel capable at the moment of responding to an interrogation,”
he told the court in a faint voice, while sitting with his legal representative on a long bench.
Earlier, he had left the court for a break, and the concession was allowed because of his age. The trial is expected to last up to 11 days, with Platini and Blatter delivering their closing statements on June 22, the day the trial is expected to end. Every day, the court will assemble only until lunchtime due to Blatter’s health as he was in a coma following a heart surgery nearly 18 months ago.
Both former football supremos are expected to face up to five years in prison if found guilty but suspended sentences also remain a likely option.
