FIFA Blatter and Platini disqualification for eight years from all positions – Il Sole 24 Ore

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This article was published on Dec. 21, 2015 at 9:58.
The last change is the December 21, 2015 at 16:03.

The FIFA president Sepp Blatter and that of UEFA, Michel Platini, were disqualified for eight years from all football-related activities. This was decided by the ethics committee of FIFA in relation to the internal investigation concerning a suspected payment of 1.8 million euro, in the hands of the two leaders.

The Commission has judged convincing explanations of President Blatter and UEFA chief Platini, on the issue of two million Swiss francs paid by the former to the latter, for professional distant over the years and never formally under contract . The disqualification of the highest levels of FIFA has immediate effect and, although the two will appeal to Fifa and then also before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the first inevitable consequence is the impossibility for Michel Platini to stand for election for the presidency FIFA on 26 February. The ethics committee also condemned Blatter and Platini to pay a fine, respectively 50 thousand and 80 thousand Swiss francs.

79 years Blatter ends badly his long career as director of football. At the head of FIFA since 1998, the Swiss had already announced his intention to resign before the presidential election in February. “I continue to be the president of FIFA,” he dettoBlatter – I’m sorry, I’m not ashamed, he added – I am ashamed of the evidence presented. The president can be relieved only by the general. ” “Nothing new, the verdict was written four months ago. Why am I not surprised. ” This is the first reaction of Michel Platini after the disqualification.

Blatter and Platini had been provisionally suspended for 90 days on October 8 in relation to the payment received by a number of UEFA in 2011 for work done for the FIFA between 1998 and 2002. Both Blatter Platini has denied any wrongdoing, and in all likelihood will bring their cases to the Court of Lausanne. Both, however, admitted that there was no written agreement to pay, but it was a “gentlemen’s agreement”. It is not clear why Platini received the money only nine years after the work done. The Clearing House Ethics Committee, chaired by Hans Joachim Eckert has however highlighted that “Blatter, in his capacity as president of FIFA, has authorized the payment to Mr. Platini had no legal basis.” According to the commission “neither in his written statement or in her personal hearing Blatter was able to show a legal basis for this payment. His claim of a verbal agreement has been defined as unconvincing and was rejected by the House. The evidence available to the Clearing House in this case were not sufficient to establish, to the extent required, that Mr. Blatter has called for the execution or omission of an official act of Mr Platini. ” Furthermore, according to the Ethics Committee, Blatter “has found itself in a situation of conflict of interest” as well as having “breached its fiduciary duty in respect of FIFA.”

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