It’s probably the hard, anti-corruption crackdown that FIFA critics were hoping for.
On Monday morning, the world football governing body’s ethics committee announced their decision to ban Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for 8 years (yes, it’s years this time, not months) from all football-related activities, with immediate effect.
This comes after the two were handed 90-day suspensions in October due to payments made by FIFA under the 79-year-old former president's reign to the French legend worth £1.3m.
Both Blatter and Platini argued that the payment was made due to a work agreement between the two during the time Michel worked as a legal adviser for Sepp from 1998 to 2002, though the payment occurred 9 years later in 2011.
The pair claimed that this agreement was a verbal contract, an action legal under Swiss law, as they had no written contract to back their case.
An investigation was opened, one which saw the 90-day suspension, a punishment which excluded Platini from the upcoming FIFA elections in February.
Once seen as a beacon of justice in a corrupted organization, the former UEFA boss has now found himself entangled in the cloud of controversy that surrounds Blatter.
.jpg?q=75&w=634)
After disciplinary meetings were held last week by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the sanctions were revealed early on Monday, with a statement reading:
"The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee chaired by Mr Hans Joachim Eckert has banned Mr Joseph S. Blatter, President of FIFA, for eight years and Mr Michel Platini, Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA, for eight years from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and international level. The bans come into force immediately.
"The proceedings against Mr Blatter primarily related to a payment of CHF 2,000,000 transferred in February 2011 from FIFA to Mr Platini. Mr Blatter, in his position as President of FIFA, authorised the payment to Mr Platini which had no legal basis in the written agreement signed between both officials on 25 August 1999. Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Mr Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this payment. His assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber.”
"The proceedings against Mr Platini primarily related to a payment of CHF 2,000,000 that he received in February 2011 from FIFA. The payment to Mr Platini had no legal basis in the written agreement signed between both officials on 25 August 1999. Mr Platini's assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber.”
