Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter loses appeal against ban

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has lost his appeal against a six-year ban for ethics violations, imposed amid the biggest corruption scandal to shake the world soccer body. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Blatter had authorised payments to former European football boss Michel Platini worth more than 2 million US dollars that amounted to undue gifts and therefore violated FIFA's code of ethics.

Blatter led FIFA for 17 years, resigning in June last year after several dozen football officials, including FIFA executive committee members and



former members, had been indicted in the United States on corruption charges, along with two sports marketing firms. The 80-year old Swiss was not among those indicted, but became embroiled in scandal when he was banned from all football-related activity the following December by FIFA's Ethics Committee along with Platini, then President of the European soccer body UEFA. The bans were reduced to six years by FIFA's appeals committee in February. Both men denied wrongdoing and Blatter said the payment related to a verbal agreement between them.