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 reels as Valcke suspended in fresh blow

FIFA reeled from fresh scandal as Secretary General Jerome Valcke was dramatically suspended over allegations of involvement in a ticketing scam and placed under investigation.

Valcke, the right-hand man of outgoing FIFA President Sepp Blatter, was immediately relieved of his duties as the latest wave of sleaze crashed into world football's governing body.

Switzerland, meanwhile, ruled on Thursday that a former FIFA vice-president should be extradited to the US in a corruption probe, the first suspect facing a forced transfer over the graft allegations that have shaken world football.

Valcke "has been put on leave and released from his duties effective immediately until further notice," said a FIFA statement.

"Further, FIFA has been made aware of a series of allegations involving the secretary general and has requested a formal investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee."

The 54-year-old French official had already been forced to deny involvement in a $10 million payment to South Africa in the wake of corruption allegations that forced Blatter's resignation earlier this year.

The latest claims against Valcke related to accusations of involvement in a scam to sell World Cup tickets at vastly inflated prices and take a slice of the profits.

The claims were made by Benny Alon, an American-Israeli consultant at a company which had a deal with FIFA to sell tickets at the 2014 World Cup. The contract was subsequently cancelled.

In a strongly-worded statement issued by Valcke's US-based attorney, the official decried the allegations as false.

"Jerome Valcke unequivocally denies the fabricated and outrageous accusations by Benny Alon of alleged wrongdoing in connection with the sale of World Cup tickets," the statement from New York attorney Barry Berke said.

The statement said Valcke "never received or agreed to accept any money or anything else of value from Mr Alon".

All dealings between Valcke and Alon's company had been cleared by FIFA's legal department, the statement added.

- Corruption scandal -

FIFA have been embroiled in a major corruption scandal since the arrest of seven of its officials attending a FIFA congress in May in Zurich to elect a new president.

They are among 14 people charged by US authorities over more than $150 million in bribes given for television and marketing deals.

Despite the arrests, the election went ahead with Blatter winning a fifth mandate although the 79-year-old then announced he would be standing down with a new election scheduled for February.

In the latest step in the probe, Switzerland ruled that former FIFA vice-president Eugenio Figueredo should be extradited to the United States.

Figueredo, a Uruguayan national, has been charged by the US justice department with using his influence to solicit millions of dollars in bribes from sports marketing firms. He was among the seven FIFA officials arrested in May.

One of those arrested, Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, agreed to extradition and was sent to the US in July, but the remaining six had challenged a transfer to American courts.

Valcke came under scrutiny in recent months over what he knew about a $10 million payment from the South African FA to an account controlled by Jack Warner, the then North and Central American (CONCACAF) football chief, through FIFA in 2008.

US investigators believe the money was a bribe in return for backing South Africa getting the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA has insisted it only acted as an intermediary between South Africa and former FIFA vice-president Warner, who quit world football's governing body and his other functions in 2011 over other corruption allegations.

Valcke has found himself under scrutiny during his FIFA career.

In 2006 he was forced to step down as the football body's director of marketing after a New York court judged he had lied by negotiating FIFA deals with Visa in breach of existing contracts with Mastercard.

FIFA was later fined $60 million over the case, but Valcke re-emerged unscathed when he was installed as secretary general in June 2007.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com