The intrigue and other political maneuvers at the International Football Federation (FIFA) could, at this rate, prompt the producers of Netflix to buy the rights to the proceedings for a future series. The bomb dropped on March 4 by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Confederation (AS-MPC) is a perfect illustration of this. A bomb which reinforced suspicions of collusion hanging over Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, and Swiss magistrates.
And all the more so, according to information from the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) and World, the rapporteurs of the AS-MPC estimate that a magistrate friend of the boss of the world football sought, on behalf of the latter, in July 2015, to glean from the Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber, judicial information concerning Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, then respectively heads of the world body and the body of European football, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
A July 2015 meeting at the heart of the business
On March 4, the supervisory body of the Swiss public prosecutor’s office published a 48-page report (in German) after the disciplinary investigation against Mr. Lauber. Charged with FIFA corruption scandals since 2015, MPC boss found guilty “For having violated several duties of office” by meeting informally and three times with the President of FIFA – civil party in these proceedings – in 2016 and 2017.
In its report, the AS-MPC insisted on another meeting, on July 8, 2015. That day, Rinaldo Arnold, a childhood friend of Mr. Infantino and first prosecutor of Haut-Valais, was received by Mr. Lauber, in the presence of André Marty, spokesperson for the Swiss public prosecutor’s office.
According to MM. Lauber and Marty, this meeting was organized to discuss “General questions of criminal law”. This version was not tried “Credible” by AS-MPC, according to whom “FIFA procedures [ouvertes en mai 2015 par le MPC] have been mentioned “ during this exchange.
The rapporteurs consider that Mr Arnold “ pledged in favor of Mr. Infantino on a private basis ” and esteem that Mr. Infantino, who at that time was UEFA general secretary, “Then considered a candidacy for the presidency of FIFA and had an interest in inquiring as to whether the FIFA procedures (…) were directed against two direct competitors for the presidency of FIFA”.
–
