FIFA bans Blatter and Michel Platini for 8 years

The Federation Of International Football Association (FIFA) has banned President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini for eight years over an unauthorised 2 million Swiss franc ($2.4 million) payment, ending Platini's chances of taking over the sport's governing body.
Blatter was unable to demonstrate any "legal basis" for the payment in 2011, while Platini's assertion of an oral agreement was rejected, the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA's Ethics Committee said Monday in a statement. Blatter was fined 50,000 francs and Platini 80,000 francs and the bans take effect immediately.
The actions of neither Blatter nor Platini showed a "commitment to an ethical attitude, failing to respect all applicable laws and regulations," the ruling said. Both men demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their respective roles, it said.
Blatter, who oversaw FIFA for 17 years, and UEFA President Platini were suspended from all soccer activities on October 8 after Swiss prosecutors opened an investigation into the payment. The move effectively ended Blatter's presidency and delivered a blow to Platini's chances in February's elections for FIFA's top job. Platini was handed another setback two weeks ago when the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeal of his 90-day suspension.
Blatter and Platini have denied any wrongdoing, saying Blatter was fulfilling an oral contract between the two for services the Frenchman provided to FIFA between 1998 and 2002. The final payment on the contract was made in 2011."We thought we had convinced the panel about the whole situation," Blatter told reporters in Zurich on Monday, saying that only "FIFA's executive committee can remove its president.”On hearing the news, I felt sad but now I feel combative."
Blatter plans to appeal the decision to the Lausanne, Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, his spokesman Klaus Stoehlker said. Blatter also pledged to find a way to attend the soccer body's February 26 congress.