FIFA has asked Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to maintain its investigation into former president Sepp Blatter, football’s global governing body said on Saturday.
French newspaper Le
Monde and German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung claimed earlier this month the
disgraced 84-year-old will not be prosecuted over a charge relating to TV
rights sold to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
That was one of two
criminal cases opened against Blatter in 2015 for “suspicion of unfair
management and breach of trust”.
“We have filed
official submissions with the OAG arguing strongly that the investigation be
continued,” FIFA said.
“Indeed, FIFA will
consider all legal options to ensure that the relevant people are held to
account,” it added, confirming the media reports.
On Wednesday, AFP
obtained a police report showing suspicions of impropriety against Blatter over
a controversial deal “were well-founded” despite Swiss prosecutors dropping the
case.
The deal had
granted television rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups to the CFU, presided
over at the time by Jack Warner. for $600,000 (536,000 euros), an amount deemed
to be significantly below market price.
“Blatter acted more
in Warner’s interests than those of FIFA,” said one of the documents.
“By failing to
assert a claim by FIFA against the CFU when he found out about it, Blatter
accepted that Warner would therefore illegally enrich himself at the expense of
FIFA,” added the investigators.
As a result of “the
inaction of Blatter against the CFU or Warner, FIFA suffered damages amounting
to $3.78 million.”
Blatter, however,
still faces a second criminal investigation over the controversial payment of
two million Swiss francs (1.89 million euros) to Michel Platini, the former
president of UEFA, in February 2011.