The adjudicatory chamber of the independent FIFA Ethics Committee held hearings into corruption charges on December 17 and 18, in regard to Blatter and Platini respectively, and on December 21 they were both suspended for the period of eight years from all football-related activities.
Advertisement
A statement released by the Lausanne-based body in March read: “Joseph S. Blatter has filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the decision issued by the FIFA Appeal Committee on 16 February 2016 [the date of Blatter’s appeal hearing]”.
Both men have always maintained their innocence, claiming the payment of around £1.3m was legitimately made for work Platini carried out between 1998 and 2002.
UEFA has followed Federation Internationale de Football Association by pledging to publish details of what the president and other top officials are paid for the first time.
FIFA’s appeal committee cut two years off their sanctions as reward for their long service to the sport.
Swiss federal investigators went to Federation Internationale de Football Association headquarters to interview Blatter and Platini after an executive committee meeting, and announced that criminal proceedings had been opened against Blatter for suspected mismanagement.
Advertisement
Disgraced former Federation Internationale de Football Association president Sepp Blatter will have his CAS hearing next month. He said in May he will challenge the CAS verdict at Switzerland’s supreme court.
