Michel Platini “was worth his million” Swiss francs a year, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter insisted Thursday, telling a Swiss court he could not understand why the pair were answering fraud charges.

The former world football chief and French football legend Platini are being tried at Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court in the southern city of Bellinzona, following an investigation that began in 2015 and lasted six years.

The pair are being tried over a two million Swiss franc ($2.08 million) payment in 2011 to Platini, who was then in charge of European football’s governing body UEFA.

Blatter spoke for the first time in the two-week trial, which opened on Wednesday.

“I just had this man on my team and he was worth his million,” said the 86-year-old retired Swiss football administrator.

 

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