Sepp Blatter shown in July at a Fifa Executive Committee meeting. Ennio Leanza / EPA / July 20, 2015
Sepp Blatter shown in July at a Fifa Executive Committee meeting. Ennio Leanza / EPA / July 20, 2015

Fifa hits Blatter and Platini with 90-day suspensions; Chung for six years



Fifa’s ethics watchdog on Thursday suspended the two most powerful men in football, Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, for 90 days in a sensational new blow to the sport’s scandal-tainted governing body.

While it said the bans were “provisional”, the action almost certainly signals the end of the reign of Fifa president Blatter and deals a major blow to Uefa leader Platini’s hopes of taking over.

On another chaotic day for football, Fifa’s independent ethics committee aloso banned South Korean tycoon, Chung Mong-Joon, another candidate for the Fifa presidency, for six years.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke, already ordered to leave the world body over a separate ticketing scandal, was also suspended for 90 days.

The four football powerbrokers “are banned from all football activities on a national and international level. The bans come into force immediately,” Fifa said a statement.

Fifa did not immediately say who would take over running the multi-billion dollar organisation.

Blatter and French football legend Platini have faced mounting pressure since Swiss prosecutors started an investigation into the veteran Fifa president for criminal mismanagement.

Platini has been named in the investigation because of a $2 million (Dh7.3m) payment he received in 2011.

The Frenchman earlier demanded an inquiry into the circumstances of the investigation against him.

The suspensions can be renewed for another 45 days when they run out in January, which would take the exclusion until just before the Fifa election to be held on February 26.

That could rule out Platini, although it would be up to Fifa’s electoral committee to decide whether he can stand.

Chung, who was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (Dh379,198), would be automatically ruled out of the presidential race.

The scion of the Hyundai family was found to have contravened rules while lobbying for South Korea’s bid for the 2022 World Cup which was awarded to Qatar in a controversial 2010 vote.

Chung has threatened to take legal action over the ban.

Fifa’s crisis has been mounting since May when US authorities issued charges against 14 Fifa officials and sports marketing executives over more than $150 million in bribes given for broadcasting and marketing contracts.

Seven Fifa officials were detained at a Zurich hotel two days before Blatter was reelected for a fifth term on May 30.

As the storm grew, Blatter announced that he would stand down, but only when the election is held. Rivals have accused him since of seeking to cling to power.

Blatter said in an interview with a German magazine this week that he was determined to stay until February 26. “I am convinced that evil will come into the light and good will triumph,” he said.

Platini and Chung have said they are victims of a campaign, which they suspect comes from within Fifa, to derail their bids to become Fifa president.

Media across Europe had predicted that the 90 days suspensions would be made. Platini called it an “insidious” leak that appeared to come from an official Fifa source.

He said it “is essentially an attempt to damage my reputation” and that Fifa has “flouted” its own rules.

Platini said he had still registered his official papers to be a candidate in the Fifa race on Thursday. The deadline for candidates is October 26.

Chung said on Monday at a London sports convention that he was the victim of a “smear” campaign by Blatter who he described as “a hypocrite and a liar”.

He threatened legal action against Blatter for “embezzlement” by not declaring his salary and also in case he was stopped from running in the election.

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, a former Fifa vice president from Jordan, and Zico, a former Brazilian footballer and sports minister, are also in the election.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)