Suspended UEFA President Michel Platini arrived at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday pledging to “tell the truth, only the truth” as he appealed against a 90-day ban from FIFA, according to the AP. Platini hopes the CAS will "set aside the ban by Friday," which would allow the Frenchman to resume campaigning for the FIFA presidency ahead of the Feb. 26 election. It would "also allow him to attend the 2016 European Championship draw on Saturday in Paris." The CAS panel judging Platini’s appeal "must decide whether a ban from duty pending a full ethics investigation was an excessive sanction." Platini said, "I want to tell [the judges] more than what I told you" (AP, 12/8). REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported the CAS invited both Platini and FIFA's legal representatives to a hearing on Tuesday "limited to the issue as to whether or not the provisional 90-day suspension imposed on M. Platini should be temporarily lifted." Even a temporary reprieve from the CAS "could open the door for Platini, although FIFA's electoral commission said it would study the case depending on the timing." Meanwhile, FIFA's ethics committee said that it expects to make a final decision in the case, which could involve a ban of several years for both Platini and suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter, "by the end of December" (REUTERS, 12/7).
