FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michal Platini both received eight year bans from FIFA on Monday. Blatter is currently serving a 90-day provisional ban from soccer's international ruling body, but he made it clear he won't go quietly.
"I will fight. I will fight until the end," Blatter said at a news conference on Monday. Blatter addressed the media after he and Platini were banned for what judges ruled a conflict of interest and disloyalty to FIFA.
The ruling stems from a conflict of interest payment of 2 million Swiss Francs that was made in 2011. The payment was made on behalf of FIFA to Platini for work he did as a non-contractual "presidential advisor" from 1999 to 2002. The deal is still under criminal investigation in Switzerland, according to ESPN.
A couple months ago Platini was considered the likely successor to take over from Blatter as FIFA president, however after the ban, his campaign as successor is over, according to Joshua Robinson. Had Blatter and Platini been charged with corruption, the two would have received lifetime bans, according to the Associated Press.
However, Platini's lawyer Thibaud d'Ales told the Associated Press it's no surprise corruption charges were dropped. "They used it with the sole purpose of dirtying Michel Platini, although they knew from the start it was an untenable argument." d'Ales said.
Platini was fined 80,000 Swiss Francs ($80,400), according to ESPN, and described the proceedings as a "true mockery." Blatter was fined 50,000 ($50,250) while ethics judges found him to have violated his fiduciary duty to FIFA. "His [Blatter's] assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber," according to a press release from FIFA.
Blatter, 79, took over as FIFA president 17 years ago and has worked with FIFA for more than half his life. "I'm sad. It can't go on this way. It's not possible," said Blatter. "After 40 years, it can't happen this way. I'm fighting to restore my rights."
