Blatter could stay FIFA president beyond February, Platini clarifies alleged 'disloyal payment'

Sepp Blatter has not ruled out trying to stay on as FIFA’s president beyond February’s scheduled election, despite facing a criminal investigation and a possible internal ethics probe, a close confidant told Reuters on Tuesday. The scenario where Blatter would try to stay on appears far-fetched, and an ethics investigation could lead to his suspension from the game before the election even begins. An emailed statement from Blatter’s personal lawyers, Lorenz Erni of Switzerland and Richard Cullen of the United States, also defended payments that Zurich-based FIFA made to Michel Platini, president of the UEFA football confederation, as “valid compensation” for Platini’s work as an adviser. Swiss prosecutors said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into Blatter on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. Authorities interrogated Blatter at FIFA headquarters and seized unspecified data from his office. [caption id=“attachment_2278540” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Blatter told Swiss authorities on Friday that Platini “had a valuable employment relationship with FIFA” as an adviser, Blatter’s personal lawyers said. AP[/caption] The prosecutors said Blatter was suspected of a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.94 million) to Platini in 2011 at the expense of FIFA, said to have been for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002. Blatter told Swiss authorities on Friday that Platini “had a valuable employment relationship with FIFA” as an adviser, Blatter’s personal lawyers said. “He explained to the prosecutors that the payments were valid compensation and nothing more and were properly accounted for within FIFA including the withholding of social security contributions,” the lawyers said. Platini made his own defense of the payments on Tuesday morning. The one-time star for France said in a statement that he had not been accused of wrongdoing and that the money was fully declared to authorities in accordance with Swiss law. ———– Platini said he has offered to speak to FIFA’s Ethics Committee to help resolve any issues relating to the 2011 payment. “I wish to clarify that for the period 1998 to 2002, I was employed by FIFA to work on a wide range of matters relating to football,” the Frenchman wrote. “It was a full-time job and my functions were known by all. The remuneration was agreed at the time and after initial payments were made, the final outstanding amount of 2 million Swiss Francs was paid in February of 2011. “This income has all been fully declared by me to the authorities, in accordance with Swiss law.” Platini was interviewed by Swiss prosecutors on Friday - on the same day as Blatter faced questions from the Office of the Attorney General. Blatter says he has done nothing illegal or improper. Platini, a former Juventus and France international midfielder, said his status in those interviews with authorities was “not as a person accused of any wrongdoing but simply in my capacity as a person providing information”. The 60-year-old Platini did not address why the payment came nine years after he finished the work with FIFA but said he wants to clear his name swiftly. “I have today written to the Ethics Committee of FIFA to request that I may come forward and provide whatever additional information may be needed in order to clear this matter up,” he said. “I am aware that these events may harm my image and my reputation and by consequence, the image of UEFA. “For these reasons I wish to use all my energies to ensure that any issues or misunderstandings can be resolved as soon as possible.” Blatter has said he plans to resign the presidency after an election in February. He is also being investigated by US prosecutors and the FBI as part of a sweeping probe into allegations of corruption in the world’s most popular sport Reuters