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Sepp Blatter says he leaves football

Former UEFA president Lennart Johansson described the ruling as “punishment enough” and said the eight-year suspensions could effectively be seen as life bans.

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France’s sports minister questioned the legitimacy of FIFA’s Ethics Committee on Tuesday after it imposed an eight-year ban that appears to have ended his compatriot Michel Platini’s chances of becoming head of the world football body.


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The two were found guilty of breaches surrounding a 1.3 million pound ($2m) “disloyal payment” authorised by Blatter in favour of Platini in 2011.


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Meanwhile, Blatter’s lawyers said he is ready to take “all legal steps” to clear his name after he was banned from football for eight years by a Fifa court over ethics violations. However, Platini acknowledges that he may run out of time if the issue is not resolved quickly in his favour.

“I don’t think you can put Blatter and Platini in the same boat”, Aigner said.

“There was a debt that was settled, full stop! It looks the most promising though now though, it looks like he is a on a back foot now because he looks more exposed then he has ever been in the past”.

“I will fight. But then I’ll take my responsibilities according to what happens”, he said.

FIFA’s American sponsors are buffing in urging a change at the organization, the banned president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The ethics inquiry began in the wake of the Swiss attorney general’s decision to open criminal proceedings against Blatter over the payment to Platini.

Platini still has support from the French Football Federation, whose president Noel Le Graet expected a ban for the ex Les Bleus global.

Blatter, 79, was on May 29 re-elected for a fifth term.

“I regret I am a punching ball and for my organization I have served with my heart and conscience for 41 years”, Blatter said during his opening statement.

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The court said: “Mr Blatter’s actions did not show commitment to an ethical attitude”. Sexwale, a millionaire businessman, who was jailed alongside Nelson Mandela under apartheid rule, is among the candidates vying to replace Blatter as president of world football’s governing body in next February’s elections. “And here I am, suspended from all football-related activity for eight years”. But this “death sentence” notwithstanding, the entire non-European footballing world remains loyal to Blatter and he would likely win an election even today.

Sepp Blatter