Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini (right) both banned for eight years by FIFA’s Ethics Committee.

Agencies
Berlin


FIFA president Joseph Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini were yesterday banned from football for eight years by the ethics committee of football’s scandal-hit world governing body.
Both are banned immediately from all football-related activity nationally and internationally, the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA ethics committee ruled.
The ban effectively ends Blatter’s career as football’s leading administrator and Platini’s hopes of succeeding him as FIFA president.
Both said they would appeal the rulings.
The adjudicatory chamber, chaired by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, ruled there were ethics breaches concerning a “disloyal payment” of 2mn Swiss francs (about $2mn) made to Platini in 2011.
“Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Mr Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this payment,” the ethics committee said in a statement.
“His assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber.”
The statement added: “By failing to place FIFA’s interests first and abstain from doing anything which could be contrary to FIFA’s interests, Mr. Blatter violated his fiduciary duty to FIFA.”
Blatter was additionally fined 50,000 Swiss francs and Platini 80,000 Swiss francs.
At a news conference in Zurich, Blatter said he would appeal the ban, take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland and also seek justice under Swiss law.
“I will fight, for me, for FIFA. Banned eight years, for what?” Blatter said.
Platini said in a statement he would also take his case to CAS and file a lawsuit in a civil court to seek compensation. He described the process against him as “a true mockery.”
European football governing body UEFA said it was “extremely disappointed” with the ban on Platini.
Blatter and Platini are ruled to have breached FIFA articles relating to offering and accepting gifts, a conflict of interest, loyalty and general rules of conduct.
Both Blatter and Platini “did not show commitment to an ethical attitude, failing to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as FIFA’s regulatory framework” and demonstrated “an abusive execution” of their positions within FIFA, a statement said.
Blatter and Platini were provisionally suspended for 90 days on October 8 in connection with the payment Platini received in 2011, the UEFA president saying it was for FIFA work done between 1998 and 2002.
Blatter was to lay down his mandate as FIFA president at an extraordinary congress on February 26, and former France playing star Platini had hoped to succeed him.
Both have said the 2011 payment was part of an agreement made for work carried out when Platini was employed as an adviser for Blatter.  They conceded that no written contract existed for the payment, with Blatter saying there was a “gentlemen’s agreement.”
Platini received the money nine years later at a time when Blatter was seeking support for a fourth term as president and facing a major challenge from Qatar’s Mohamed bin Hammam. But Blatter dismissed any connection at his Zurich news conference.
“I am a man of principles,” he said. “I repeat: Never take money you have not earned, pay your debts. Now they are telling me that I tried to buy through Michel Platini, votes for the 2011 elections. No.”
Blatter, 79, who has presided over FIFA since 1998, said he was still FIFA president and “the president of FIFA can only be relieved of his activities by the FIFA congress.” He still hoped to attend the FIFA congress.
Unshaven and wearing a large plaster on his cheek, Blatter was flanked at the news conference by his daughter Corinne.
“I am really sorry. I am sorry that I am still a punching ball. I am as president of FIFA this punching ball. And I am sorry for football.  I am sorry to FIFA,” he said.
“I have served them for more than 40 years. I am sorry for 400-plus team members working in FIFA. I’m sorry.
“But I’m also sorry about me. How I am treated in this world of humanity.”