Federation Internationale de Football Association to consider suspension of UEFA’s Platini

While FIFA President Sepp Blatter will appear in person on Thursday before the panel of four judges of the FIFA ethics court, UEFA President Michel Platini plans to boycott his hearing on Friday Dec. 18.

Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter pleaded his innocence before world football ethics judges yesterday as Switzerland said it has frozen tens of millions of dollars in suspect accounts linked to football corruption.

Platini refused to attend his hearing with the FIFA Ethics Committee after accusing a spokesperson of breaching his “fundamental rights”.

Blatter’s hearing on Thursday lasted nearly eight hours, but the Swiss FIFA president emerged in a buoyant mood, with his lawyers stating they expected Blatter’s name to be cleared. We are confident that this is a realistic target, and we look forward to returning our full focus to FIFA’s primary mission of promoting and developing football everywhere, and for all.

“Mr. Platini has asked the president to pay him a prescribed amount, which he should not have asked”, Scala said. He had a contract for 300,000 Swiss francs, in line with FIFA’s then-wage structure, plus a “gentleman’s agreement” to get the rest later. Blatter’s opponent in that election, Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, said weeks later he was ready to discuss a power-sharing deal with Platini as a condition of securing European votes.

Platini was considered favourite to take over but his campaign has been frozen since he and Blatter were suspended in October over the payment which they insist was legal.

After a year of unprecedented scandal, FIFA’s acting president Issa Hayatou and the body’s acting secretary general Markus Kattner warned that the storm engulfing world football may not be over.

“We call on all of FIFA’s member associations to fully support, implement and abide by the new reforms”, FIFA’s interim leaders said in the letter.

More independent members of committees such as finance, development, and compliance, and more involvement from players, clubs, leagues.

It came amid the corruption scandal which has seen more than 30 football officials indicted by the U.S. justice department, and the ethics committee hearings against Blatter and Platini.