Blatter Challenges FIFA Ethics Committee’s Power

The FIFA president’s advisor Klaus Stoehlker reported that Sepp Blatter put under question the power of the FIFA ethics committee to remove him from his current position as a football’s world governing figure.

Blatter and Platini are suspended for 90 days, but they may be facing lifetime bans on corruption charges. The FIFA investigators recommended the sanction, if both men are found guilty.

The 79 years old FIFA president claims he that he did not do anything wrong or illegal. He attempts to go over the head of the FIFA watchdog and challenge its authority in order not to be banned and to clear his name.

Stoehlker said that the FIFA congress was the only authority that could remove the Swiss. The congress elected Blatter, therefore, no one else can remove him from his presidential post.

Blatter and Platini are accused of corruption charges. In 2011 the Swiss paid £1.3 million to Platini. But there was no written document that legalizes the payment. However, both men claim that there was a verbal contract. They said it was a “gentlemen agreement” during the time when Platini was a Blatter’s advisor.

Platini was a technical advisor of Blatter from 1998 to 2002. Yet the long delay of the payment has not been explained. Moreover, during the intervening years the amount paid to Platini was not flagged up to the finance officials.

The FIFA ethics committee needs to prove that there was no agreement. But Platini’s lawyer holds a proof that an oral contract exists. Moreover, there is no evidence to confirm the accusations.

The most powerful men in the world’s football are accused of conflict of interest, mismanagement, false accounting and refusal to co-operate with the committee. The formal hearing will take place until the 25th of December.

L’Equipe, French paper, reported that UEFA chief’s lawyer found the lifetime bans “disproportionate” and “scandalous”. He added that the accusations were leaked in order to damage Platini’s desires to run for FIFA president.

The clock is ticking and the elections are coming in February. D’Ales said that these leaks were clearly “a desire to harm”. He believes that this was a strategy to eliminate UEFA’s boss as a candidate. He will not stand, if his name is not cleared.

Blatter is not the only FIFA figure that may face lifetime ban. Jack Warner (Trinidad and Tobago), Mohamed Bin Hammam (Qatar), Manilal Fernando (Sri Lanka) and Chuck Blazer (USA) received bans.