FIFA scandal: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini banned from football for eight years

Sam Long21 December 2015

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have both been banned for eight years from all football-related activities, FIFA's ethics committee has revealed.

The pair, who have also been fined, had been suspended for 90 days in October while an investigation was carried out into a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.02 million) payment by FIFA to Platini in 2011. Both men have denied any wrongdoing.

The duo's respective suspensions will come into force immediately.

Fifa confirmed in a statement that "The proceedings against Mr Blatter primarily related to a payment of CHF 2,000,000 (£1.34m) transferred in February 2011 from FIFA to Mr Platini.

"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 in 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.

Given that Blatter is 79 his ban will effectively end his career as a football administrators.

Platini, 60, was previously to tipped to become a future leader of football's world governing body

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