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FIFA Suspends Sepp Blatter Amid Corruption Scandal

The FIFA president was suspended for 90 days along with European soccer chief Michel Platina in the latest development in the scandal that has engulfed the world's most popular sport.
Photo by Christophe Ena/AP

Sepp Blatter, chief of the world soccer organization FIFA, and Michel Platini, the head of European soccer authority UEFA, were suspended on Thursday amid a deepening corruption scandal, decapitating the leadership of a sport facing criminal investigations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Blatter, the Swiss businessman and sports administrator who has been president of world governing body FIFA since 1998, was already set to stand down after an election to replace him is held in February. Platini is a FIFA vice-president and was a frontrunner to replace Blatter. His dampened election hopes now depend on whether he can overturn the 90-day ban imposed by FIFA's Ethics Committee.

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Despite their denials of wrongdoing, both men have gradually been dragged down by the scandal that has engulfed the world's most popular sport, beginning with dawn raids and a series of arrests at a Swiss luxury hotel in May.

Related: FIFA Bosses Get Rude Awakening With Arrests at Their Five-Star Swiss Hotel

"During this time, the above individuals are banned from all football activities on a national and international level," the ethics committee said.

FIFA detailed specifics of the suspension in a statement put out on Thursday.

"Joseph S. Blatter, for the duration of the 90-day ban, is not allowed to represent FIFA in any capacity, act on the organization's behalf, or communicate to media or other stakeholders as a FIFA representative," the statement read.

Blatter will be replaced by Issa Hayatou of Cameroon, the head of the Confederation of African Football and FIFA's most senior vice president. In 2011, the 69-year-old was reprimanded by the International Olympics Committee's (IOC) ethics commission after he confirmed to them he was paid by FIFA's former marketing agency International Sport and Leisure in 1995.

The IOC said such an action constituted a conflict of interest. Hayatou denied any personal gain or wrongdoing. In a statement on Thursday, the Cameroonian said he would not be a candidate for FIFA president in February and had taken the role on "only on an interim basis."

Related: Putin Says Embattled FIFA President Sepp Blatter Is Awesome

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Swiss and US authorities are both investigating corruption in world soccer, part of long-running probes that have so far led to the indictment of 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives. Among other things, they are examining the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.

The statement from the Ethics Committee did not give out details of any offense committed by Blatter and Platini. While it is not allowed to discuss any probes, the investigation is almost certainly looking into a 2 million Swiss francs ($2.06 million) payment from FIFA to Platini in 2011, nine years after he completed a spell working for Blatter as an advisor.

The Swiss attorney general said on September 25 that it had opened a criminal investigation into Blatter concerning that matter and a Caribbean television rights deal. Platini is regarded as somewhere "between a witness and an accused person" in the payment case.

Blatter has worked for FIFA for 40 years, starting as a technical director before becoming secretary general under former president Joao Havelange in 1981. The 79-year-old told a German magazine this week that a Swiss criminal investigation against him was "not correct".

All those banned on Thursday can turn to FIFA's Appeals Committee to try to overturn the sanctions, but would remain suspended throughout any appeals process. Blatter's lawyers said he was disappointed he had been suspended without having the chance to be heard. They said he was looking forward to presenting evidence that would prove he did not engage in any misconduct.

Related: Former FIFA Underboss, Jack Warner, Allegedly Ripped Off Funds for Haiti Earthquake Victims

A spokesman for Platini was unable to comment on whether he intended to appeal, but Platini said he submitted his nomination papers for the election to succeed Blatter before he was suspended. Shortly before his ban was announced, the former France midfield football star, indicated he intended to fight against the ruling.

"I will stop at nothing to ensure that the truth is known," Platini said in a statement. "Nobody should be in any doubt as to my determination to achieve that objective."

If Platini is not able to overturn his ban and join the election race, it would leave Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan as the clear favorite, unless other candidates emerge to take advantage of the Frenchman's troubles.