FIFA: criminal proceedings opened against Joseph Blatter over "illegal transfer to Michel Platini"

"The Public Ministry of the Confederation have opened a criminal case against the president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) under suspicion of criminal mismanagement concerning the illegal transfer of two million Swiss francs (€1.83 million) to Michel Platini and secondarily for abusing a position of trust," announced the Swiss prosecutor's office in a statement on 25/09/2015.

Searches were conducted at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich (SUI). The Executive Committee of FIFA had met on 24 and 25/09/2015 at the headquarters of the international federation. A press conference was scheduled at 14:00, then moved back to 15:00 on 25/09/2015, before finally being canceled, without explanation.

• Michel Platini, president of UEFA since 26/01/2007, is one of the seven candidates to succeed Joseph Blatter, who "laid down his mandate", on 02/06/2015.
  • The election should take place during an extraordinary congress of FIFA, in Zurich on 26/02/2016.
• "FIFA has announced that its secretary general Jerome Valcke was relieved of his duties with immediate effect…