Blatter, Platini Finally Going to Court in FIFA Fraud Trial

FIFA president Sepp Blatter (L), is greeted by UEFA President Michel Platini after Blatter's re-election as president at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29, 2015. Patrick B. Kraemer/Keystone via AP

GENEVA—Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini’s 11-day trial on charges of defrauding FIFA starts Wednesday—finally bringing the epic downfall of soccer’s former world leaders into criminal court.

The fallout from the case ousted Blatter ahead of schedule as president of FIFA and ended Platini’s campaign to succeed his former mentor. It also removed Platini as president of UEFA, the governing body of European soccer.