An investigation into a television deal between FIFA President Sepp Blatter, left, and Caribbean powerbroker Jack Warner, right, has been dropped by the Swiss public prosecutor's office ©Getty Images

A criminal investigation into former FIFA President Sepp Blatter over the award of a television contract for the World Cup has been dropped by the Swiss public prosecutor’s office (MPC), it has been reported.

Blatter had allegedly conspired with then Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) President Jack Warner.

The Caribbean Football Union, also controlled by Warner at the time, acquired broadcast rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups in South Africa and in Brazil, respectively, for $600,000 (£506,000/€595,000).

Warner then sub-licensed the right to his own Cayman Islands-registered company J & D International which sold them on to SportsMax in Jamaica for almost $20 million (£17 million/€20 million).

The investigation dated back to 2015 when a Swiss television programme claimed that in 2005 Blatter signed off personally on the sale to Warner of the television rights.

A contract published by SRF demonstrated the regional rights as being valued at $250,000 for 2010 and $350,000 for 2014.

According to court documents in the Cayman Islands, Jeffrey Webb, Warner’s successor as president of CONCACAF, was a director of JDI at the time of the deal.

In November 2015, former FIFA vice-president Webb pleaded guilty to corruption charges, including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. and agreed to forfeit more than US$6.7 million (£5.6 million/€6.4 million).

Sepp Blatter was last week cleared by a Swiss court on charges of fraud, embezzlement and corruption ©Getty Images
Sepp Blatter was last week cleared by a Swiss court on charges of fraud, embezzlement and corruption ©Getty Images

Warner is still facing corruption charges in the United States.

Blatter, however, seems set to face any further scrutiny over the deal.

French newspaper Le Monde quoted a prosecutor’s office statement saying: “We confirm that the MPC has communicated to the parties that it considers the criminal investigation to be complete and ready to be closed and that it intends to close the procedure concerning this set of facts.”

Last week, the 86-year-old Blatter, along with former UEFA President Michel Platini, was cleared of corruption by a Swiss court in Bellinzona.

Blatter and Platini were on trial faced with charges of fraud, embezzlement and corruption related to a secret payment of CHF2 million (£1.6 million/$2 million/€1.9 million) between the two former powerbrokers in 2011.

They claimed the FIFA payment was given to Platini, and authorised by Blatter, for "consultancy services" between 1998 and 2002.

Swiss prosecutors had alleged it "was made without a legal basis" and "unlawfully enriched Platini" but the judge found them not guilty.