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            French Soccer Headquarters Raided in FIFA Investigation

   by VOA News

   French authorities raided the French Football Federation's Paris
   headquarters Tuesday to gather documents for an investigation against
   the former head of FIFA, Sepp Blatter.

   Swiss investigators cooperating with France on a probe into a suspect
   payment between Blatter and European football head Michel Platini
   announced the raid Wednesday.

   The investigation focuses on a $2 million payment Blatter approved for
   Platini in 2011.  Both men were removed from office and banned from
   soccer for six years for the payment.  They have denied wrongdoing.

   Blatter told the French news agency he was "very surprised" by the
   search.  Platini's lawyers said "the sooner Swiss justice authorities
   finish their investigation, the sooner Michel Platini will be out of
   the tabloids where he does not belong."

   The 79-year old Blatter faces charges in a Swiss court, while Platini
   is considered somewhere between a witness and a defendant.

   FIFA has attempted to clean up its image after current and former
   officials were charged with corruption in the largest scandal in the
   organization's history.


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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/french-soccer-headquarters-raided-in-
   corruption-investigation/3227196.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/french-soccer-headquarters-raided-in-corruption-investigation/3227196.html