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Blatter to FIFA staff: I’ve done nothing illegal
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Sepp Blatter’s lawyer says the FIFA president told his staff he has done “nothing illegal or improper.”
Blatter was back at work yesterday, three days after being interrogated by Swiss investigators at the scandal-battered governing body’s headquarters in Zurich.
A statement from Blatter’s attorney, Richard Cullen, said the president “informed the staff that he was cooperating with the authorities, reiterated that he had done nothing illegal or improper and stated that he would remain as president of FIFA”.
Blatter is expected to hand over power in February when an emergency election is held, triggered by the president’s resignation statement four days after being re-elected for a fifth, four-year term in May.
Blatter told the Swiss investigators that a 2-million Swiss franc (US$2.05 million) payment to UEFA boss Michel Platini was legitimate, despite a claim from prosecutors that the payment was “disloyal” to FIFA, Cullen said.
“On the Platini matter, President Blatter on Friday shared with the Swiss authorities the fact that Mr Platini had a valuable employment relationship with FIFA serving as an advisor to the president beginning in 1998,” Cullen said in the statement.
“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.
“Because of the continuing investigation President Blatter will answer no further questions at this time,” the statement concluded.
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