Blatter/ Platini banned for 8 years
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21 December 2015Last updated at 10:00
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Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini have been suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.
They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011.
The Fifa ethics committee found Blatter and Platini had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
Both men deny wrongdoing. The bans come into force immediately.
Fifa boss since 1998, Blatter, 79, had already announced he was quitting ahead of February's presidential election.
Platini, 60, was tipped as a future leader of football's world governing body and had hoped to succeed Blatter.
A three-time European Footballer of the Year and former captain of France, he had been in charge of Uefa - European football's governing body - since 2007.
Blatter arrives for his own news conference
Blatter sports a plaster over his cheek, the result of a non-serious medical procedure
Blatter and Platini have also been fined £33,700 ($40,000) and £54,000 ($80,000) respectively.
A spokesman for Blatter confirmed he will appeal against the ban and is prepared to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Platini is expected to follow suit.
Blatter is also due to hold a news conference at 1000 GMT.
Why are they banned?
Blatter and Platini were found guilty of ethics code breaches over the "disloyal payment".
Both claimed the payment was honouring an agreement made in 1998 for work carried out between 1998 and 2002 when Platini worked as a technical adviser for Blatter.
The payment was not part of Platini's written contract but the pair insisted it was a verbal agreement, which is legal under Swiss law.
German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairman of Fifa's adjudicatory chamber, held disciplinary hearings for the pair last week.
Charges included conflict of interest, false accounting and non co-operation, with investigators submitting a file of more than 50 pages.
Statement - key points
- The payment made in February 2011 had "no legal basis" in the contract signed by both men when Platini started working for Blatter on 25 August, 1999.
- Both men's explanation that there was an "oral agreement" over the payment was rejected as "not convincing".
- Blatter's actions did not show "commitment to an ethical attitude", and both men were found to be in "a conflict of interest".
- Platini also failed to act with "complete credibility and integrity" and showed "unawareness of the importance of his duties".
- The committee said there was "not sufficient evidence" to establish the payment was a bribe, but both men demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
Can Platini and Blatter recover?
Platini boycotted his hearing in Zurich on Friday in protest, claiming a decision already appeared to have been made.
His lawyers attended, but it looks as though the Frenchman is preparing to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Blatter is planning to hold a news conference at 10:00 GMT.
He has already announced he would not be seeking a fifth term as Fifa president but is unlikely to accept the ruling of the ethics investigators.
Whatever happens, they will find it hard to recover from the damage done to their reputations.
What now for Fifa?
World football's governing body has been in turmoil for several months now, following numerous allegations of corruption.
Seven Fifa officials were arrested at a Zurich hotel at the end of May.
And US authorities have charged 39 football officials and sports business executives over more than £134m ($200m) in bribes for football television and marketing deals.
Swiss prosecutors are also investigating Fifa's management as well as the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
There is also pressure from governments and the International Olympic Committee for Fifa to push through major reforms aiming at making governance more transparent and accountable.
Who will be the next Fifa boss?
The presidential election is due to take place on 26 February.
There are currently five candidates to take over:
- Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa - Bahrain, head of Asian football;
- Tokyo Sexwale - South Africa, politician and tycoon;
- Prince Ali bin al-Hussein - Jordan, a former Fifa vice-president;
- Gianni Infantino - Switzerland, Uefa general secretary;
- Jerome Champagne - France, a former Fifa assistant general secretary.
Can they still take part in training matches?
Also, Tokyo Sexwale is an incredible name. Vote for that guy
That's a position isn't it?
21 December 2015Last updated at 10:00
3.1K
Fifa: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini get eight-year bans
Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini have been suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.
They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011.
The Fifa ethics committee found Blatter and Platini had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
Both men deny wrongdoing. The bans come into force immediately.
Fifa boss since 1998, Blatter, 79, had already announced he was quitting ahead of February's presidential election.
Platini, 60, was tipped as a future leader of football's world governing body and had hoped to succeed Blatter.
A three-time European Footballer of the Year and former captain of France, he had been in charge of Uefa - European football's governing body - since 2007.
Blatter arrives for his own news conference
Blatter sports a plaster over his cheek, the result of a non-serious medical procedure
Blatter and Platini have also been fined £33,700 ($40,000) and £54,000 ($80,000) respectively.
A spokesman for Blatter confirmed he will appeal against the ban and is prepared to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Platini is expected to follow suit.
Blatter is also due to hold a news conference at 1000 GMT.
Why are they banned?
Blatter and Platini were found guilty of ethics code breaches over the "disloyal payment".
Both claimed the payment was honouring an agreement made in 1998 for work carried out between 1998 and 2002 when Platini worked as a technical adviser for Blatter.
The payment was not part of Platini's written contract but the pair insisted it was a verbal agreement, which is legal under Swiss law.
German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairman of Fifa's adjudicatory chamber, held disciplinary hearings for the pair last week.
Charges included conflict of interest, false accounting and non co-operation, with investigators submitting a file of more than 50 pages.
Statement - key points
Is this the end for both men?
- The payment made in February 2011 had "no legal basis" in the contract signed by both men when Platini started working for Blatter on 25 August, 1999.
- Both men's explanation that there was an "oral agreement" over the payment was rejected as "not convincing".
- Blatter's actions did not show "commitment to an ethical attitude", and both men were found to be in "a conflict of interest".
- Platini also failed to act with "complete credibility and integrity" and showed "unawareness of the importance of his duties".
- The committee said there was "not sufficient evidence" to establish the payment was a bribe, but both men demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
Can Platini and Blatter recover?
Platini boycotted his hearing in Zurich on Friday in protest, claiming a decision already appeared to have been made.
His lawyers attended, but it looks as though the Frenchman is preparing to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Blatter is planning to hold a news conference at 10:00 GMT.
He has already announced he would not be seeking a fifth term as Fifa president but is unlikely to accept the ruling of the ethics investigators.
Whatever happens, they will find it hard to recover from the damage done to their reputations.
What now for Fifa?
World football's governing body has been in turmoil for several months now, following numerous allegations of corruption.
Seven Fifa officials were arrested at a Zurich hotel at the end of May.
And US authorities have charged 39 football officials and sports business executives over more than £134m ($200m) in bribes for football television and marketing deals.
Swiss prosecutors are also investigating Fifa's management as well as the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
There is also pressure from governments and the International Olympic Committee for Fifa to push through major reforms aiming at making governance more transparent and accountable.
Who will be the next Fifa boss?
The presidential election is due to take place on 26 February.
There are currently five candidates to take over:
Voting will take place by secret ballot, with all Fifa's 209 member states
- Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa - Bahrain, head of Asian football;
- Tokyo Sexwale - South Africa, politician and tycoon;
- Prince Ali bin al-Hussein - Jordan, a former Fifa vice-president;
- Gianni Infantino - Switzerland, Uefa general secretary;
- Jerome Champagne - France, a former Fifa assistant general secretary.
Every single one of those candidates looks dodgy as fuck, for a whole host of valid reasons
So devastated ... Poor Michel and Sepp
Wow. Just fucking wow.
Hahaha! I can hear the songs already "free Sepp Blatter" and "there's something inside so strong". They'll be storming up the charts before you know it.
Peter Gabriel is already re-penning Biko as we speak
Is that all?
And Blatter is still saying he did nothing wrong. Yeah ok then Sepp.
And Blatter is still saying he did nothing wrong. Yeah ok then Sepp.
Hopefully the start of the clean up
Just shows how deep the corrupted standards are planted in those organizations.
Largely thanks to him.
The worst of it is he may well believe 100% in the "truth" of what he's saying, he's probably that much of a stranger to reality after all this time doing whatever he wants whenever he wants to. Interestingly, if that is the case he may technically not be guilty of a crime (certainly in English law, intent usually has to be proven to obtain a guilty verdict) though FIFA itself can obv.ban him for infringing its rules.
The worst of it is he may well believe 100% in the "truth" of what he's saying, he's probably that much of a stranger to reality after all this time doing whatever he wants whenever he wants to. Interestingly, if that is the case he may technically not be guilty of a crime (certainly in English law, intent usually has to be proven to obtain a guilty verdict) though FIFA itself can obv.ban him for infringing its rules.
It's incredible that it took a pissed off nation that doesn't take football seriously to bring this shower of snakes down. Plus the US had the World Cup in 94 so it's not close to their "turn" again.
Anyway hey ho, it's coming down and they'll just get another set of soon to be corrupt, greedy cunts to run it.
Anyway hey ho, it's coming down and they'll just get another set of soon to be corrupt, greedy cunts to run it.
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