World football ruling body FIFA on Monday filed claims in a court in Switzerland seeking to recover two million Swiss francs (about £1.56 million) from former French football star Michel Platini.
It said the money was paid inappropriately by ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter to Platini.
“FIFA has today filed claims in the relevant Swiss courts against former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and former FIFA Vice-President Michel Platini, seeking restitution of the two million francs unduly paid to Mr. Platini back in February 2011,” FIFA said.
It added it was “duty-bound to try to recover the funds illicitly paid by one former official to another.”
Blatter and Platini, who could not immediately be reached for comments, have maintained they did nothing wrong.
This has come amid what became part of the biggest corruption scandal to shake the world football body, resulting in numerous prosecutions and convictions in the U.S.
Both men were banned from football in late 2015 over the payment made to the Frenchman by FIFA with Blatter’s approval in 2011 for work he had done a decade earlier.
