Humiliating end for Sepp Blatter’s 40-year Fifa reign

Sepp Blatter’s 40-year Fifa reign came to a humiliating end as he and Michel Platini, the two most powerful men in world football, were banned for eight years by Fifa’s ethics committee for abusing their positions yesterday.

Blatter claimed he had been “killed” and “betrayed” by the ethics committee he had appointed while Platini insisted the bans were “a mockery” — but it looks to be the end of the road for both men’s Fifa careers.

The bans were imposed by Fifa’s ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert for a “disloyal payment” of 2m Swiss francs (€1.8m) made to Uefa president Platini in 2011, signed off by Blatter.

Blatter, who made a defiant but rambling appearance at a news conference in Zurich following the announcement, has also been fined 50,000 Swiss francs (€46,000) and Platini 80,000 Swiss francs (€73,640) by the adjudicatory chamber of Fifa’s ethics committee after being found guilty of ethics code breaches.

The charges found proven included offering and accepting gifts, conflict of interest, and violating their fiduciary duty to Fifa.

Blatter, appearing wearing a plaster on his face following the removal of a facial blemish, vowed to fight the sanctions. He will be allowed to stay in the luxurious apartment provided by Fifa until the appeals process is exhausted, and his final words to the press conference were: “I’ll be back.” The 79-year-old used Fifa’s former headquarters in Zurich for his news conference — he hired it as a private citizen, but it still houses Fifa’s marketing department — and said he would appeal to Fifa’s appeals committee, then the Court of Arbitration for Sport and then the Swiss federal court against the sanction.

He told a packed conference: “I will fight for me and I will fight for Fifa. Suspended for eight years for what?

“I am sorry that I am a punching ball. I am sorry that as president of Fifa I am this punching ball. I am sorry for football. I am also sorry about me and about how I am treated in this world of humanitarian qualities.

“Human beings needs to be respected. It has created a lot of collateral damage in the families. My family was mocked. I regret I am this punching bag.”

Blatter said he had almost died after collapsing in early November, adding: “They tried to kill me now. But I was safe till the last minute. I was nearly there.”

He and Platini both claimed the 2m Swiss francs (€1.8m) payment was made following a verbal agreement between the pair when the Frenchman worked for Blatter from 1998 to 2002 though not paid until 2011, 13 years after the agreement. The explanation was rejected as “not convincing” by the ethics committee, though it did add the evidence had not been sufficient to secure charges of corruption.

Platini’s aim of succeeding Blatter as Fifa president in February’s election has been effectively ended, even if he manages to overturn the ban.

Platini said he, like Blatter, would appeal to CAS and take legal action for damages. He said in a statement: “This decision does not surprise me. The Fifa ethics commission’s procedure against me is a true mockery. It was orchestrated to tarnish my reputation.

“I’m convinced that my fate was decided before the December 18 hearing and that this decision is just a pathetic manoeuvre to hide a true will of taking me out of the football world.” Platini will be able to attend matches at Euro 2016 in France next summer despite his ban — but only if he buys a ticket as a fan.

Platini and Blatters bans prohibit them accepting invitations as a VIP or working for a television station as a pundit. The bans do not prevent the pair attending matches in a private capacity — it would contravene Europe’s human rights code to try to impose a ban on that.