FIFA President Sepp Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini were both banned from soccer for eight years on Monday for ethics violations, leaving the global game leaderless as it fights a swirl of corruption cases.
The pair, who were also fined, had been suspended in October while an investigation was carried out into a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.02 million) payment that soccer’s global governing body made to Platini in 2011, with Blatter’s approval.
The decision means that Blatter’s 17 years at the helm of world soccer will end in disgrace, and spells the end of Platini’s hopes of replacing the 79-year-old Swiss in a presidential election in February.
FIFA’s Ethics Committee said it had not found evidence that the payment, made at a time when Blatter was seeking re-election, constituted a bribe, but that it had nevertheless lacked transparency and presented a conflict of interest.
This meant the men were spared potential life bans. Both have denied any wrongdoing and are almost certain to challenge the decision in FIFA’s Appeals Committee and, if necessary, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“The evidence available to the adjudicatory chamber in the present case was not sufficient to establish, to the extent required, that Mr Blatter sought the execution or omission of an official act from Mr Platini,” said a statement, referring to the ‘bribery and corruption’ section of the code.
But the committee’s adjudicatory chamber did find that the payment had been “without a legal basis” and a breach of regulations governing gifts and other benefits.
Reuters
