UEFA president Platini loses suspension appeal

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has officially rejected the Frenchman’s appeal against his provisional ban from all football-related activity from football’s governing body.

The court’s failure to lift the ban is seen as a blow to a bid by Platini, who is also a FIFA vice president, to succeed FIFA President Sepp Blatter at an extraordinary FIFA congress to be held in Zurich on February 26.

Both deny wrongdoing, but acknowledge there was only a verbal agreement which they say is valid under Swiss law.

But the CAS ruled that the decision by Fifa’s ethics committee should stand ahead of a final ruling next week on the facts of the case.

The timing of the 2011 payment has raised suspicions in that it was made only a few months before Blatter was standing again for the Federation Internationale de Football Association presidency.

“I am disappointed, I regret that Michel can not be at the Euro 2016 draw tomorrow because he deserved it so much”, French federation president Noel Le Graet told reporters at a UEFA executive committee meeting in Paris.

Michel Platini is surrounded by journalists as he arrives at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to appeal against a 90-day suspension in Lausanne this week.

“However, the CAS Panel considered that the situation would change if Fifa were to extend the provisional suspension for any period up to 45 days, on the basis of “exceptional circumstances” as permitted by Art. 85 of the Fifa Code of Ethics”.

Both men face sanctions for a range of potential FIFA Code of Ethics violations, including bribery, conflicts of interest and false accounting.