Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, and former vice-president Michel Platini, have been found not guilty of fraud following the conclusion of their trial in Switzerland.
The two were accused of fraud relating to a 2m Swiss Francs (£1.6m) payment made by Blatter to Platini back in 2011, which they claimed was related to Platini's advisory work for FIFA at the time.
Both were banned from football back in 2015 following a host of investigations into corruption and fraud within FIFA's ranks, which led to numerous arrests and prosecutions.
Switzerland's attorney general opened a separate criminal investigation surrounding the payment between Blatter and Platini in 2015, before questioning and proceedings took place in 2020.
However, following an 11-day trial in the Swiss city of Bellinzona, the country's Federal Criminal Court acquitted both Blatter and Platini on June 22.
Following the verdict, Blatter said: "I am relaxed, definitely, because during seven years I was always under pressure because there was a court case opened against me.
"Now its finished, so I am happy. I am also happy for international football. It's justice, but it's a victory for me."
Meanwhile, Platini also expressed his relief, saying: "I wanted to express my happiness for all my loved ones that justice has finally been done after seven years of lies and manipulation.
"The truth has come to light during this trial and I deeply thank the judges of the tribunal for the independence of their decision. I kept saying it - my fight is a fight against injustice. I won a first game.
"In this case, there are culprits who did not appear during this trial. Let them count on me, we will meet again because I will not give up and I will go all the way in my quest for truth."
Following the initial investigations back in 2015, Blatter resigned from his role as president of FIFA, whilst Platini withdrew his candidacy for the post.
Matthew Tranter
