Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter pleaded his innocence before world football ethics judges Thursday as Switzerland said it has frozen tens of millions of dollars in suspect accounts linked to football corruption.

Blatter, who with vice-president Michel Platini faces a long suspension, arrived and exited FIFA's Zurich headquarters in a black Mercedes, accompanied by his lawyer, and made no comment to dozens of reporters assembled outside. But, after the hearing which lasted more than eight hours, Blatter's Virginia-based lawyer, Richard Cullen, issued a statement calling for an acquittal. "President Blatter looks forward to a decision in his favor, because the evidence requires it," Cullen said in an email sent to AFP. "President Blatter behaved properly and certainly did not violate FIFA's Code of Ethics. This investigation should be closed and the suspension lifted," Cullen added.