Soccer heavyweights face eight years in wilderness after tribunal ruling

FIFA's ethics tribunal banned Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years on Monday, saying they had abused their positions over a suspect $2 million payment.

In a verdict that heightened the crisis in soccer's scandal-plagued world body, the court strongly criticized the FIFA president and vice-president, saying there was "no legal basis" for the payment that Blatter authorized for Platini in 2011.

While full-blown corruption charges were dropped, both men angrily vowed to fight the bans.

Blatter said he felt he was being used as a "punching ball" and declared: "I will fight to the end".

The ban, which starts immediately, promises to end 79-year-old Blatter's four decades with FIFA in disgrace. It is also a devastating blow to Platini's hopes of taking over as head of FIFA in an election on Feb 26.

European soccer leaders said the case was a worry however. Dutch soccer federation president Michael van Praag, a former challenger to Blatter for the FIFA leadership, called the sentence "extremely scandalous" for world soccer.

The German federation's acting leader, Reinhard Rauball, said "changing faces" would not be enough for FIFA. "They must regain trust and credibility. It is going to take years."

"I think this is punishment enough, because it means they can never come back," former UEFA president Lennart Johansson told the Swedish daily Expressen.

Blatter, FIFA's president since 1998, was also fined $50,000 while Platini, the head of UEFA, Europe's governing body, was fined $80,000.

FIFA suspended the pair and launched an inquiry in October after Swiss prosecutors accused Blatter of criminal mismanagement over the $2 million payment that was caught with special software.

'Abusive execution'

A statement by the FIFA tribunal said Blatter and Platini were guilty of "abusive execution" of their powers over the payment.

The judges said there was a conflict of interest and "no legal basis" for the transfer in their written agreement on advisory work by Platini between 1999 and 2002.

Blatter's "assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber".

The court said: "Mr Blatter's actions did not show commitment to an ethical attitude."

The judgment was even more damning of French soccer legend Platini.

"Mr Platini failed to act with complete credibility and integrity, showing unawareness of the importance of his duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities."

Under the ban, neither Blatter nor Platini can go near the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Blatter cannot speak on behalf of the world body and Platini cannot even act as a television commentator for the European Championships he has helped to organize in France next year, a source close to FIFA said.

Both strongly deny any wrongdoing. Blatter spent eight hours before a FIFA court last Thursday while Platini boycotted his hearing on Friday saying he had been "convicted" in advance.

Blatter told a media conference he felt he had been "betrayed" and used as a "punching ball".

He said he would go to FIFA's appeal committee, the Court of Arbitration for Sports and the Swiss courts if necessary.

He insisted the FIFA ethics committee had no right to depose him as president.

Blatter was campaigning for re-election in 2011 but insisted he had not offered a bribe to Platini.

"Never in my life I would offer money to get something. This hurts me really in my heart," he said.

Platini said in a statement that the FIFA decision was a "masquerade" intended to "sully" his name.

FIFA in chaos

He said he would go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and civil courts.

"This verdict is just a pathetic cover-up for a desire to eliminate me from the world of football."

FIFA said they had 10 days to appeal to its judiciary.

Blatter will be fighting for his reputation and legacy. For Platini, the suspension rules him out of February's FIFA election.

The deadline for candidates to be registered and pass an integrity check is Jan 26.

With FIFA's reputation in tatters after the arrest of several top officials, Blatter announced four days after winning re-election to a fifth term in May that he would stand down and call a new election.

Seven FIFA officials were arrested in a luxury Zurich hotel two days before the election congress.

Now US authorities have charged 39 soccer officials and sports business executives over more than $200 million in bribes for television and marketing deals.

Swiss prosecutors are investigating FIFA's management and the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

Facing pressure from governments and the International Olympic Committee for major reforms, there are currently five candidates to take over FIFA: Asian soccer head Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain, South African politician and tycoon Tokyo Sexwale, former FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA assistant general secretary from France.