Search at French Football headquarter hands Swiss authorities evidence in Blatter investigation

Bern, Switzerland: Swiss authorities say evidence has been seized in a search at the French football federation headquarters for their criminal case against former Fifa president Sepp Blatter. The office of Switzerland’s attorney general says the governing body for French football consented to the search carried out Tuesday with the cooperation of the French Financial Prosecution Office. [caption id=“attachment_2646864” align=“alignleft” width=“300”] Former Fifa President, Sepp Blatter AP[/caption] Criminal proceedings were opened against Blatter last September for suspected financial mismanagement over a $2 million payment he approved from Fifa funds for Michel Platini in 2011. Blatter said at the time there was nothing untoward about the payment at the centre of fresh corruption allegations and has dismissed the allegations against him. The Swiss attorney general’s office says “Documents were seized in connection with the suspected payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2 million) that is inter alia the subject of the proceedings,” adding that the search was a response to a Swiss request for mutual legal assistance. Blatter and Platini were both banned from football for six years after an investigation by Fifa’s ethics committee. They deny wrongdoing and are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. With inputs from Agencies