by Suzanne Beishon

THE net tightened around Sepp Blatter yesterday as Swiss prosecutors announced the opening of criminal proceedings against the Fifa boss.

Shortly after Fifa caused confusion by cancelling their scheduled press conference, a statement from the Swiss attorney general’s office (OAG) relayed that the head of football’s global governing body is suspected of criminal mismanagement or misappropriation over a TV rights deals signed in 2005 with the former head of Caribbean football Jack Warner.

“Swiss criminal proceedings against the president of Fifa, Mr Joseph Blatter, have been opened on September 24 on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and — alternatively — misappropriation,” the statement read.

“On the one hand, the OAG suspects that on September 12 2005 Mr Joseph Blatter has signed a contract with the Caribbean Football Union (with Jack Warner as the president at this time); this contract was unfavourable for Fifa. On the other hand, there is as suspicion that, in the implementation of this agreement, Joseph Blatter also violated his fiduciary duties and acted against the interest of Fifa and/or Fifa Marketing & TV AG.”

In a further shock to world football it was announced that he is also suspected of “a disloyal payment” (a payment against the best wishes of the organisation) of two million Swiss francs (£1.35m) to Uefa president Michel Platini — the favourite to succeed Blatter who said he was running for president on the promise that he would “give Fifa back the dignity and the position it deserves.”

The OAG statement confirmed: “Additionally, Mr Joseph Blatter is suspected of a disloyal payment of 2 million swiss francs to Michel Platini at the expense of Fifa, which was allegedly made for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002; this payment was executed in February 2011.”

Investigators searched the offices of the under-fire president and seized data at Fifa headquarters following a Fifa executive committee meeting yesterday that confirmed that the 2022 World Cup will last 28 days with the final will be held on December 18.

Officers also quizzed Blatter and said: “Representatives of the OAG interrogated the defendant Joseph Blatter following a meeting of the Fifa executive committee. At the same time, Michel Platini was heard as a person asked to provide information.

“Furthermore, the OAG conducted on September 25 a house search at Fifa headquarters with the support of the Federal Criminal Police. The office of the Fifa president has been searched and data seized.”

Fifa’s response to the Swiss investigation said: “Fifa facilitated these interviews as part of our ongoing co-operation. We will have no further comment on the matter as it iive investigation.”

Blatter has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and his lawyer Richard Cullen said: “Mr Blatter is co-operating and we are confident that when the Swiss authorities have a chance to review the documents and the evidence they will see that the contract was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate staff members of Fifa who were routinely responsible for such contracts, and certainly no mismanagement occurred.”