Lausanne -
The FIFA will go to a civil court in Lausanne to obtain the payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.04 million) that former president of the organization, Sepp Blatter, had given "improperly" to Michel Platini and that resulted in a four-year suspension for the former captain of the France National Team, as reported by the FIFA's lawyer on Friday.
"We have gone to the Cantonal Heritage Chamber", an authority dependent on the Lausanne court, the Belgian lawyer Denis Waelbroeck told AFP.
FIFA had announced on Monday that it had gone to the Swiss justice system to obtain the payment of these two million Swiss francs. They had until December 31 to do so, as it was prescribed beyond that date.
"We are asking for the reimbursement of the two million Swiss francs, with interest, as well as the payment of the expenses of the process and the fine" that has not been paid, added the Belgian lawyer, without giving the exact amount of the claimed sum.
Michel Platini had been suspended for eight years in December 2015 for this payment received from Blatter. His suspension had been reduced to 6 years on appeal and then to 4 years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The fine had been reduced by CAS from 80,000 Swiss francs ($81,666) to 60,000 ($61,300).
FIFA presented "a request for civil conciliation in Lausanne", Vincent Solari, Platini's Swiss lawyer, confirmed to AFP.
"A hearing will be scheduled in which we will simply indicate that Platini does not agree with these claims. (...) FIFA will then have three months to take the litigation to the ordinary civil court", he added. (D)