The trial of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and French footballing legend Michel Platini over alleged corrupt payments began in Switzerland on Wednesday with both defendants in a confident mood.
Swiss prosecutors accuse the pair, once among the game's most powerful figures, of unlawfully arranging a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.08 million) in 2011. Blatter and Platini deny the charges.
Three judges at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, will hear the case in the trial which runs until June 22. A verdict is due on July 8. If convicted, Platini and Blatter face up to five years in jail.
