Blatter and Platini – what happened, why were they banned & what next for Fifa & Uefa?
The Fifa president and Uefa boss are both suspended for eight years from
all football-related activities - so where do the pair and the sport's
main governing bodies go from here?
COMMENT
It was the day that few thought would ever come - the day Sepp Blatter was banned from FIFA.
FIFA
president Blatter, along with UEFA boss Michel Platini, the man who
wanted to replace the Swiss as leader of world football, were both
handed eight-year bans from all football-related activities after an
ethics investigation.
Blatter, who has been in charge of FIFA
since 1998 and won a fifth consecutive term in office earlier this year,
has promised to fight the suspension after being found guilty of
breaches surrounding a "disloyal payment" to Platini made in 2011.
FIFA's
Ethics Committee said it had not found evidence that the payment, which
was made at a time when Blatter was aiming for re-election, constituted
a bribe but that it had lacked transparency and was a conflict of
interest.
Platini, who has led UEFA since 2007, is also expected to appeal the decision.
WHAT HAPPENED ON MONDAY?
Blatter
was banned for eight years from all football-related activities after
being found guilty of making a "disloyal payment" of €2 million to
Platini - a decision which he says was communicated to the media before
he had been informed.
The 79-year-old, who won a fifth term in
office back in June by defeating Jordan's Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein, has
already revealed he will appeal against the decision of the FIFA Ethics
Committee after claiming he feels "betrayed."
Blatter, who
succeeded Joao Havelange as head of FIFA in 1998, held a press
conference in the old FIFA building in Zurich where he protested his
innocence, invoked the memory of Nelson Mandela and spoke about
humanity.
In his press conference he said he had become a
"punching ball" for the organisation but said he would fight against the
decision and questioned the right of the Ethics Committee to suspend
him.
Platini, who had hoped to replace Blatter in February as the new president of FIFA, is also expected to appeal.
Blatter was also fined €50,000 while Platini was hit with a punishment of €80,000.
WHY HAVE THEY BEEN BANNED?
The
ban centres on a payment Blatter made to Platini in 2011. Both men
claim the agreement to pay Platini was made in 1998 for work the
Frenchman did during his time as technical advisor to Blatter between
1998 and 2002.
Suspicions became aroused when it was noted that
the payment was actually received nine years later, in 2011. It was also
not part of Platini's written contract - but both men said that they
had made a verbal agreement which is legal under Swiss law.
FIFA's
adjudicatory chamber, which is led by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert,
listened to the cases of both men last week although Platini declared
he would not appear after claiming the result had already been
determined.
According to the committee, "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 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 judgement
also stated that Blatter had demonstrated "an abusive execution of his
position as president of FIFA" and accused him of "failing to place
FIFA's interests first and abstain from doing anything which could be
contrary to FIFA's interests."
Platini, according to the
committee's findings, "failed to act with complete credibility and
integrity, showing unawareness of the importance of his duties,
concomitant obligations and responsibilities.”
WHAT NOW FOR BLATTER AND PLATINI?
Blatter
was in bullish mood during his press conference, questioning the work
of the Ethics Committee and insisting he will "fight for me and fight
for FIFA."
He accused the Ethics Committee of labelling both him
and Platini as liars and revealed that his family has been mocked over
his plight.
But things could yet get worse for Blatter, who has
been interviewed as part of a criminal investigation, with the Swiss
Attorney General investigating the "disloyal payment" to Platini.
Platini,
who rejects any allegations of wrongdoing, was spoken to as "someone
between a witness and an accused person" under Swiss law.
Blatter
has already said he will appeal the decision and could go to the FIFA
appeals committee before heading to the Court for Arbitration for Sport
(CAS).
If he fails in both of these courts, he could go to the highest court in Switzerland to prove his innocence and quash the ban.
Platini is likely to appeal his suspension at CAS with UEFA giving the Frenchman their full backing.
Neither man will be able to perform their roles while their appeals are pending.
That means UEFA will continue to be led by Angel Maria Villa Llona, the senior vice-president, until the final outcome is known.
In
a statement, UEFA said it was "extremely disappointed" with the
decision and supports Platini's right "to a due process and the
opportunity to clear his name."
WHAT NOW FOR FIFA?
FIFA's
presidential election will take place on February 26 with Sheikh Salman
(above) the current favourite to land the top job.
Prince Ali
will also fancy his chances along with Gianni Infantino, the man likely
to be backed by UEFA with Platini seemingly unable to stand in the
election.
But whoever wins will inherit an organisation in turmoil.
Apart
from winning back the trust of the public and the watching world, which
in itself may yet prove impossible, there are also a number of ongoing
investigations into alleged corruption and wrongdoing within FIFA and
member associations.
Blatter, the ultimate survivor, and Platini,
who is desperate to clear his name, will not go quietly - this is a
story which could yet run and run.
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