FIFA rejected apeals by its President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini "against their provisional bans from all football activity," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. The decision is a "further blow to Platini's faint hopes" of rejoining the race to succeed Blatter, although the Frenchman "has already confirmed that he will appeal against the suspension with the court of arbitration for sport." He "has submitted his candidacy, but FIFA's ad hoc electoral committee will not rule on his eligibility until he returns from his 90-day ban." Meanwhile, it is understood that the FIFA ethics committee "is on track to make a decision on the facts of the case before Christmas in any case, with both men facing the possibility of bans of up to seven years." The pair had appealed in the wake of the decision by FIFA's ethics committee in September to ban them both for 90 days, with a possible 45-day extension, while investigations into alleged "disloyal payment" continued (GUARDIAN, 11/18). In London, Teddy Cutler wrote Platini and Blatter, who will give up the FIFA presidency at an extraordinary elective congress in Zurich on Feb. 26, "have been banned from all domestic and international football-related activities" by FIFA's ethics committee since the start of October over a £1.3M payment made to Platini in '11 for work claimed to have been carried out more than nine years previously. The committee announced that it had "rejected in full" the appeals made by Platini and Blatter (LONDON TIMES, 11/18). REUTERS' Michael Shields wrote a statement issued by Platini's spokesperson said, "Michel Platini has full confidence that the CAS will restore all his rights. Meanwhile, he remains a composed and determined candidate for the FIFA presidency." If Platini wins his appeal at the CAS, the electoral committee "has said it would review his case but there is no guarantee he would be able to stand in the election as it would depend on the timing." Blatter said in a statement issued by his U.S. lawyer he was "disappointed" by the decision and would appeal "and looks forward to the opportunity to be heard, including through the presentation of evidence and argument of counsel, and thereby demonstrate he has engaged in no misconduct." Both statements complained that "the Appeal Committee took more than two weeks" to announce its decision. FIFA "could not immediately be reached to comment on any delay" (REUTERS, 11/18).
