French footballing great Michel Platini was accused of fraud to torpedo his chances of becoming the head of world soccer's governing body FIFA, his lawyer told a Swiss court on Wednesday.

Ex-Fifa head Sepp Blatter and French football great Michel Platini were cleared in 2022, but prosecutors appealed.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter returns to court Monday one week before his 89th birthday for a retrial in a 10-year-old case of alleged financial wrongdoing.

The saga stems from the delayed payment of 2 million Swiss francs Fifa paid Platini in 2011 for consultancy services. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Former FIFA and UEFA leaders return to Swiss court for 2nd trial on fraud charges, nearly decade after investigation began - Anadolu Ajansı

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini are back in court for appeal hearing after the pair were acquitted of fraud charges in 2022 over a £1.6m payment made to the former UEFA boss

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was innocent when he appeared in a Swiss court on Monday alongside France soccer great Michel Platini, 2-1/2 years after they were both cleared of fraud.

The Swiss public prosecutor on Tuesday requested suspended sentences of 20 months for both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini in an appeal against their 2022 acquittal in a corruption case. The case began in 2015 when Blatter quit as head of FIFA in a corruption crisis.

Ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter leaves the special appeals court on Monday in Muttenz, Switzerland. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

The prosecution is demanding suspended prison sentences of one year and eight months for former FIFA president Joseph Blatter and former UEFA boss Michel Platini in the new round of a legal dispute over suspicion of fraud in Muttenz,