Blatter and Platini returned to a federal court room nearly three years after they were acquitted at a first trial in July 2022 on charges of fraud, forgery and misappropriation of FIFA money. Swiss federal prosecutors appealed against those verdicts.
Blatter approved a FIFA payment of two million Swiss francs (now $A3.6m) to France soccer great Platini in 2011 for backdated work as a presidential advisor a decade earlier.
"When you talk about falsehoods, lies and deceptions, that is not me," the 88-year-old Blatter said in German to three judges hearing the case. "That didn't exist in my whole life."
Blatter and Platini deny wrongdoing in a case now in its 10th year that ended the political careers of arguably the two most influential men in world soccer who led FIFA and European governing body UEFA.
They have consistently claimed at five different judicial bodies — twice at FIFA, then the Court of Arbitration for Sport and now two Swiss federal criminal courts — they had a verbal "gentleman's agreement" to one day settle the unpaid and non-contracted salary.
Federal prosecutors indictment in November 2021 said the payment "damaged FIFA's assets and unlawfully enriched Platini."
"There's no corruption, no scam, nothing at all," Platini said after five hours in court on the first of four scheduled days.
The acquittal came nearly seven years after the investigation was opened and removed them from office. It also ended Platini's campaign as the favoured candidate to succeed Blatter, his former political mentor.
Their second trial is due to end Thursday, with reserve days booked after Blatter's 89th birthday next Monday. The verdict from three judges is scheduled for March 25.
Prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand, a veteran of FIFA investigations dating back more than two decades, has asked for sentences of 20 months, suspended for two years.
FIFA was not represented in court, and Platini's lawyer Dominic Nellen urged the judges to dismiss its status as appellant, asking: "Where is FIFA?"
FIFA has pursued a civil judgement to recover the money and 229,000 Swiss francs ($A408,560) in social charges paid, plus interest. Platini has said he declared the money as income and paid Swiss taxes on it.
Neither Blatter nor Platini has worked in soccer since they were suspended by the FIFA ethics committee in October 2015. They were later banned and failed to overturn those in separate appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2016.
Blatter is exiled from soccer until late in 2028 — when he will be 92 — because of an ethics prosecution of alleged self-dealing in eight-figure management bonuses paid for successfully organizing the men's World Cup in 2010 and 2014.
26°C