By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – The latest move in Michel Platini’s efforts to resume his shattered career as UEFA president was taking place today with FIFA’s appeals committee considering his eight-year ban from all football-related activity.
Platini was found guilty by FIFA’s ethics committee in December along with Sepp Blatter over breaches surrounding a SFr 2 million “disloyal payment”.
Blatter’s appeal against his own ban is due to be heard on Tuesday.
Both claim the payment was totally above board and made following a verbal agreement between the pair when the Frenchman worked for Blatter from 1998 to 2002, though it was not paid until nine years later. That explanation was rejected as “not convincing” by the ethics committee, though it there was insufficient evidence to prove corruption.
The appeals committee has the power to reduce, overturn or even increase the ban which is what the FIFA ethics committee wants on the grounds the original sanctions were too lenient.
UEFA says it will not hold its own election to replace Platini until his appeals process has been concluded – weeks, possibly months, down the line.
He had at one stage been favourite to succeed Blatter as FIFA president at the upcoming February 26 election but the opening of ethics proceedings against him and subsequent ban wrecked any chance of that happening.
It is likely the appeals panel will deliver its verdict before next week’s electoral congress in Zurich. If it goes against Blatter and Platini they will barred from attending – unless, of course, a subsequent last-ditch appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport goes in their favour in time.
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