FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and two of the men seeking to replace him were suspended by the organization’s ethics panel as a widening corruption probe threatens to destabilize soccer’s governing body as it eliminates many of the sport’s top officials. The 90-day provisional bans can be extended to a maximum of 135 days before ethics committee must take further action.
The Uefa president, Michel Platini , who was the favourite to succeed his mentor-turned-rival until he too become embroiled in corruption allegations, has been handed an identical sanction, dealing a huge blow to his presidential ambitions. Fifa said on Thursday that Issa Hayatou is taking over as acting president.
From the FIFA statement on its Ethics Committee ruling:
The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee chaired by Hans‑Joachim Eckert has provisionally banned FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, UEFA President and FIFA Vice-President Michel Platini, and FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke (who has already been put on leave by his employer FIFA) for a duration of 90 days. The duration of the bans may be extended for an additional period not exceeding 45 days. The former FIFA Vice-President Chung Mong-joon has been banned for six years and fined CHF 100,000. During this time, the above individuals are banned from all football activities on a national and international level. The bans come into force immediately.
