June 7 – Sepp Blatter’s lawyers say his compensation payments were completely above board despite the furore over revelations last week by FIFA’s American lawyers that Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner paid themselves millions of dollars in bonuses that hardly anyone else was aware of.
The trio awarded themselves salary increases and future golden handshakes totaling tens of millions of dollars over just five years, it was disclosed. FIFA said prior to 2013, those who signed the contracts were “in principle” also the same ones who approved them, leading to a closed-shop culture.
Blatter’s basic salary was $3 million in 2015, but his bonuses along the way topped out at an $11 million contract bonus for the 2010 World Cup and a $12 million for the 2014 edition. He would have qualified for a $12 million performance bonus had he completed a successful 2015-19 presidential term, and annual bonuses up to $1.5 million.
Lawyers for Blatter, who has been the subject of Swiss criminal proceedings since last September, said his pay arrangements were above board.
“We look forward to showing FIFA that Mr. Blatter’s compensation payments were proper, fair, and in line with the heads of major professional sports leagues around the world,” said US lawyer Richard Cullen in a statement made on behalf of the 80-year-old former president.
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