Blatter and Platini banned by FIFA for eight years

ZURICH - FIFA President Sepp Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini were both banned from soccer for eight years on Monday for ethics violations, leaving the global game leaderless as it fights a swirl of corruption cases.

The pair, who were also fined, had been suspended in October while an investigation was carried out into a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.02 million) payment that soccer's global governing body made to Platini in 2011, with Blatter's approval.

The decision means that Blatter's 17 years at the helm of world soccer will end in disgrace, and spells the end of Platini's hopes of replacing the 79-year-old Swiss in a presidential election in February.


 FIFA's Ethics Committee said it had not found evidence that the payment, made at a time when Blatter was seeking re-election, constituted a bribe, but that it had nevertheless lacked transparency and presented a conflict of interest.

This meant the men were spared potential life bans. Both have denied any wrongdoing and are almost certain to challenge the decision in FIFA's Appeals Committee and, if necessary, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"The evidence available to the adjudicatory chamber in the present case was not sufficient to establish, to the extent required, that Mr Blatter sought the execution or omission of an official act from Mr Platini," said a statement, referring to the 'bribery and corruption' section of the code.

But the committee's adjudicatory chamber did find that the payment had been "without a legal basis" and a breach of regulations governing gifts and other benefits.

ABUSE OF POSITIONS

It said Blatter "found himself in a situation of conflict of interest, despite which he continued to perform his related duties, failing to disclose said situation and the existence of personal interests linked to his prospective activities".

"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," it added.

The chamber concluded that Blatter's actions ultimately demonstrated "an abusive execution of his position as President of FIFA".

It also said Platini's argument that there had been an oral agreement for the payment had not been convincing, and that he, too, had abused his position as a FIFA vice-president and Executive Committee member.

"Mr Platini failed to act with complete credibility and integrity, showing unawareness of the importance of his duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities," it said.

Blatter was fined 50,000 Swiss francs and Platini 80,000.

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. The office is also investigating FIFA's award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals to Russia and Qatar.

In the United States, prosecutors have indicted 27 current or former soccer officials, including eight former FIFA executive committee members and the current heads of both the North and South American federations, over allegations that they ran bribery schemes connected to the sale of television rights for soccer competitions. Twelve people and two sports marketing companies have been convicted.

($1 = 0.9925 Swiss francs)

(Reporting By Simon Evans; Editing by Michael Shields and Kevin Liffey)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

FIFA's leaders meet amidst latest scandal storm

FIFA's executive committee were gathering on Tuesday as acting president Issa Hayatou attempts to steer football's embattled governing body through the latest storm of scandals to blight their Zurich headquarters.

The extraordinary meeting was announced on October 9 after FIFA's ethics committee suspended president Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jerome Valcke, and Michel Platini for 90 days from all football-related activities.

The trio are all banned from attending what will be the first executive committee meeting held without Blatter's presence for 40 years and Hayatou sees restoring public trust as a matter of priority.

Cameroon's Hayatou takes charge of FIFA's helm amidst the worst scandals in the organisation's 111-year history and it will be far from business as usual.

"It’s certainly an unprecedented situation for FIFA," said the 69-year-old.

"But we remain focused on the necessary reform process, the presidential election and on supporting the current investigations.

"To restore public trust is a crucial objective. It is essential that FIFA carries on its mission of developing the game and staging international tournaments."

On the agenda, the executive committee will hear the first recommendations from FIFA's reform committee, tasked with suggesting changes within FIFA's corridors of power, with the aims of restoring it's badly tarnished credibility.

The increased need for transparency on renumeration is poised to be discussed, but the backdrop to the meeting remains the power struggle ahead of the FIFA presidential election on February 26 at next year's extraordinary congress.

FIFA's leaders meet in Zurich with the organisation under-fire from all sides.

After several key sponsors called for Blatter to resign, FIFA took the unprecedented step of suspending it's president based on suspicions a two million Swiss franc ($2 million, 1.8 million euros) payment made by Blatter to Platini in 2011 was not above board.

Neither have explained the reason for the nine-year delay in payment for work Platini carried out as Blatter’s technical advisor from 1999 to 2002.

Platini, president of European football's governing body UEFA, had been seen as favourite to replace Blatter as FIFA president in next year's elections until he was named in a Swiss criminal investigation into Blatter's management of FIFA.

Swiss investigators are also looking into FIFA's awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar in a bribery scandal which has seen 14 people arrested by American and Swiss authorities.

Seven former FIFA officials were arrested by Swiss authorities in May as the United States attempts to have them extradited to face charges of accepting bribes.

Over the weekend, allegations of cash-for-votes by magazine Der Spiegel has drawn the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany into question and the German Football Association (DFB) has strenuously denied any wrong-doing.

Then on Monday, Platini admitted he had no written contract for the two million Swiss franc payment by Blatter, but had a "man-to-man agreement" as his chances of replacing the Swiss veteran as head of the world body nosedived.

Platini told French newspaper Le Monde he felt Blatter was seeking to "kill me politically" over the contested payment and says he feels "shame at being dragged through the mud".

The Frenchman believes he is "the only one who can ensure that FIFA again becomes the home of football".

So far, only two candidates have officially submitted applications to stand as FIFA president: Platini and Jordan's Prince Ali bin al Hussein, who pushed Blatter to a second round of voting in May's election.

Possible other runners include South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale, a former cellmate of Nelson Mandela, and Jerome Champagne, the former deputy secretary general of FIFA.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

FIFA chief Blatter faces criminal probe, cloud over Platini

Embattled Sepp Blatter was urged to stand down as FIFA president on Saturday after he was placed under a criminal investigation as his heir-apparent Michel Platini also came under scrutiny over a murky multi-million-dollar payment.

In a dramatic escalation of the corruption scandal engulfing world football Swiss investigators accompanied by Swiss police swept into FIFA's headquarters on Friday as their attention turned to Blatter and Platini.

"Swiss criminal proceedings against the President of FIFA, Mr. Joseph Blatter, have been opened on September 24, 2015 on suspicion of criminal mismanagement...and - alternatively - misappropriation," said a statement from Switzerland's attorney general's office (OAG).

 This stunning development came after months of probes following raids in Zurich which led to the indictment of more than a dozen top officials.

Swiss prosecutors said Blatter was being investigated over the 2005 sale of World Cup television rights to the Caribbean Football Union, then run by his former ally Jack Warner, a deal which had been "unfavourable for FIFA".

Blatter was also suspected of a "disloyal payment" of two million dollars to Platini in February 2011 allegedly made for work the Frenchman carried out for FIFA between 1999 and 2002, before he was elected head of UEFA.

Saturday's headlines in the Swiss press made uncomfortable reading for the beleaguered Blatter.

"Blatter should go as quickly as possible" was the blunt advice given to the 79-year-old football strongman by Neue Zurcher Zeitung.

"It is imperative that he now at least quickly abandons ship," the daily suggested in an editorial.

Blick's front page headline was bleaker: "Blatter risks jail....Twilight years behind bars?"

 - Platini blow -

Swiss authorities said Blatter was questioned as "a suspect", while Platini had been quizzed "as a person called upon to give information".

Blatter's lawyer Richard Cullen stressed that the FIFA boss was cooperating with Swiss authorities and that a review of the evidence would show "no mismanagement occurred".

Platini defended the payment he received in 2011, made three months before the Frenchman announced he would not challenge Blatter for re-election during that year's race for the FIFA presidency.

"Concerning the payment that was made to me, I wish to state that this amount relates to work which I carried out under a contract with FIFA," said the UEFA boss.

"I was pleased to have been able to clarify all matters relating to this with the authorities."

But he offered no explanation as to why the payment had arrived almost a decade after the work had been completed.

However, a former FIFA insider, who requested anonymity, told AFP that Platini's hopes of being elected to replace Blatter next year had been damaged by Friday's revelations.

"Platini took a serious blow" by even being mentioned in the Swiss statement, the source told AFP.

Blatter "is finished now ... Platini will struggle to recover from being questioned".

Friday's turn of events came after a press conference that Blatter was scheduled to give was suddenly cancelled.

Platini is a former Blatter ally who turned against the veteran Swiss sports baron over the past 18 months as FIFA's troubles mounted.

The investigation is also into Blatter's links with Warner, a former FIFA vice-president now at the centre of a US investigation.

 - 'Unfavourable to FIFA' -

The attorney general said Blatter was suspected of making a deal "unfavourable to FIFA" with the Caribbean Football Union, which Warner used as his power base.

A Trinidad court on Friday announced it would rule on December 2 on whether Warner should be extradited to the United States.

Warner is one of 14 soccer officials and business executives charged by US prosecutors of involvement in more than $150 million in bribes for football broadcasting and marketing deals.

Nearly all of the suspects are from central and South America. Until recent days, FIFA's top leadership had escaped accusations flying around the world body, which earns $5 billion from the World Cup.

Swiss officials arrested seven FIFA officials, who are among the US suspects, on May 27 in Zurich just ahead of the world body's congress.

Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term at the congress despite the storm but then announced on June 4 that he would stand down.

Since then, FIFA has announced steps to make reforms but has been shaken by new corruption claims.

FIFA this month suspended Blatter's right-hand man Jerome Valcke after he was accused of involvement in an accord to sell tickets for the 2014 World Cup at inflated prices.

Valcke strongly denied the allegations but FIFA handed over emails from the suspended secretary general that had been demanded by the Swiss attorney general.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com