08 October 2015•Update: 09 October 2015
GENEVA
The FIFA Ethics Committee on Thursday has provisionally banned several world football officials including FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, UEFA President and FIFA Vice-President Michel Platini for 90 days.
"The duration of the bans may be extended for an additional period not exceeding 45 days," FIFA said in a statement on Thursday.
These individuals are banned from all football activities on a national and international level and the bans come into force immediately, FIFA said.
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has also been banned for 90 days.
"The former FIFA Vice-President Chung Mong-joon has been banned for six years and fined CHF 100,000 ($103,400)," FIFA said.
Swiss prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against FIFA President Sepp Blatter on September 25 on suspicion of "criminal mismanagement" as well as on suspicion of "misappropriation of funds”.
Blatter, 79, is suspected of violating his “fiduciary duties” and acting “against the interests of FIFA”.
Another allegation is that Blatter made a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2 million) to Michel Platini, the president of European football’s governing body UEFA, in February 2011. This payment, “at the expense of FIFA”, was allegedly for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002.
Swiss police arrested seven FIFA officials, including two vice presidents, on corruption charges in May at the request of U.S. authorities, who later issued indictments against seven other people in the case.
Following claims of corruption, Blatter, who has always denied any wrongdoing, announced his decision to step down on June 2, just after he was re-elected as president for a fifth consecutive term. He is due to leave office on Feb. 26.
