Blatter fails to have ban overturned

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has failed in his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to have a six-year ban overturned.

Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini were suspended from all-football related activities for eight years by the sport's world governing body last December, over a £1.3m payment made by FIFA to Platini in February 2011 which the paired claimed was due for uninvoiced work carried out a decade earlier.

The "disloyal payment" came shortly after Platini decided to support Blatter's attempts for yet another re-election in 2011.

Although they failed to have the bans overturned, the FIFA appeals committee reduced the terms of their suspensions from eight to six years in recognition of their services to the game, while Platini succeeded in having his ban cut by a further two years by CAS in May.

Blatter had hoped to have his suspension overturned but CAS rejected his appeal, describing the payment to Platini as "an undue gift" with "no contractual basis".

In its judgement, CAS wrote: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the arbitration procedure between Joseph S. Blatter and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The appeal of Joseph S. Blatter has been dismissed. As a consequence, the decision rendered by the FIFA Appeal Committee (FIFA AC) on 16 February 2016 remains in force and Mr Blatter remains banned from taking part in any football-related activity at national and international level for six years as from 8 October 2015 and must pay a fine of CHF 50,000.

"The Panel found that the written employment contract established between Mr Platini and FIFA in 1999 voided any oral agreement concluded between Mr Blatter and Mr Platini in 1998 that the latter would be paid CHF 1 million per year for his work at FIFA. Accordingly, by approving a payment of CHF 2 million to Mr Platini in 2011 for the balance of work carried out under the alleged oral agreement, Mr Blatter breached the FIFA Code of Ethics since the payment amounted to an undue gift as it had no contractual basis. The Panel further found that Mr Blatter unlawfully awarded contributions to Mr Platini under the FIFA Executive Committee retirement scheme which also amounted to an undue gift.

"Turning to the sanction, the Panel noted that Mr Blatter requested the annulment of the ban but did not request a reduced penalty. In any event, the Panel determined that the sanction imposed was not disproportionate and therefore confirmed the Appealed Decision in full."

Blatter had the right to appeal the decision but he has accepted his suspension.

"I take note of the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The way the case progressed, no other verdict could be expected," Blatter said in a statement.

"What I find incomprehensible is that the existence of the oral agreement between FIFA and Michel Platini is still steadfastly negated in spite of my testimony to the contrary and the testimony given by other witnesses. A Uefa protocol mentioning the agreement is also disregarded.

"I have experienced much in my 41 years in FIFA. I mostly learned that you can win in sport, but you can also lose. In this sense I have to accept this decision (my suspension as FIFA president), although it is difficult to follow it, because the principle of jurisdiction – culpability has to be proven by prosecution – was not applied.

"Nevertheless I look back with gratitude to all the years, in which I was able to realise my ideals for football and serve FIFA."