France seizes documents in probe targeting Blatter

French authorities have seized documents from the the country’s football federation in connection with the Swiss criminal investigation targeting former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, Switzerland said on Wednesday.

The search was conducted on Tuesday -- two days before Blatter’s 80th birthday -- with Swiss officials present while French investigators searched the French Football Federation (FFF) headquarters.

Documents in connection with Blatter’s infamous 2.0 million Swiss franc ( 2.0 million, 1.8 million euros) payment to UEFA’s fallen president Platini of France, “were seized” in the search, the office of Switzerland’s attorney general said in a statement.

The statement said it asked France for cooperation on January 14. “Pursuant to that request... and in close coordination with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG), the French Financial Prosecution Office proceeded on Tuesday to a search of the offices of the French Football Federation,” the statement said. It added that the search was “in connection with the criminal proceedings against Mr. Joseph Blatter.”

A French judiciary source said the search lasted all day and that an official statement was expected later on Wednesday.