BY TIM PARSONS
The Football Association has today announced it will be suspending support for Michel Platini in his bid to become Fifa president. The Uefa president is being investigated over a £1.35m payment he received from Sepp Blatter in 2011.
Blatter, Platini, and secretary general Jerome Valcke, were all suspended for 90 days last week on a ban imposed by Fifa’s ethics committee investigating the three over corruption allegations.Ex fifa vice president Chung Mung Chong received a harsher punishment of a 6 year ban. All 4 are banned form partcipating in any football activities whatsover throughout the duration of the ban. In a press release, the FA stated “The FA wishes Mr Platini every success in fighting these charges and clearing his name, and has no interest in taking any action that jeopardises this process.
“However, notwithstanding the above, at the Uefa meeting on Thursday, the FA learned more information relating to the issues at the centre of this case from Mr Platini’s lawyers.
“We have been instructed that the information must be kept confidential and therefore we cannot go into specifics.
“As a result of learning this information, the FA Board has this morning concluded that it must suspend its support for Mr Platini’s candidature for the Fifa presidency until the legal process has been concluded and the position is clear.
“A decision can then be taken on who to support in the presidential election on 26 February 2016.”
Platini has defended the allegation bt claiming the money was an unpaid additional salary due from the time he served as Blatter’s adviser between 1998 and 2002. The 54 members of the Uefa have asked for investigators to work rapidly in assessing the merits of the claim by mid November at the latest, emphasising the need for Platini to be able to clear his name. Platini had been hoping to replace Blatter as President but his chances are now very slim.
Whilst Issa Hayatoe- head of Africa’s football confederation (Caf), will replace Blatter as acting President, the ethic Committe have officially given their reasons of the ban stating ”the grounds for these decisions are the investigations that are being carried out by the investigatory chambers of the ethics Commitee”. The logical deduction from the developments today is that fifa strongly believe Platini is guilty of criminal conduct, and the suspension of all these top dogs will go some way into contributing to the belief that Fifa
is determined to clean up its institution completely.
DISAPPOINTED
Blatter’s lawyers last week issued a statement saying the president was disappointed that the ethics committee had not followed its own code in allowing him an opportunity to be heard, and claimed the suspension was based on “a misunderstanding of the actions of the attorney general in Switzerland”.
Ther statement added that “President Blatter looks forward to the opportunity to present evidence that will demonstrate that he did not engage in any misconduct, criminal or otherwise.”
. Blatter stands accused of signing a contract “unfavourable” to Fifa and making a “disloyal payment” to Platini, who is also president of European football’s governing body – Uefa. However, in failing to give Blatter a chance to defend himself, the football Committee has fallen foul of what should effectively constitute the ‘due process’ of any investigation, just like the criminal justice system would require.
If Fifa feel they have full proof, they should be banning Blatter permanently, not just suspending him. The suspension of Platini relates to an inquiry over 2m euros, the equivalent of £1.35 paid 9 years after the 60 year old football kingpin carried out consultation work for Blatter. The payment made so many years after the consultation work raises suspicions, but again they have not afforded him a defence which still looks bad on Fifa. The suspensions may actually be well founded, but do not appear professional and honourable. Valcke is believed to have been involved in a dishonorable scheme to profit from World cup tickets.
SHAKE UP
The investigation into Platini, Blatter, and the others, by Fifa commenced after criminal proceedings were opened against him by the Swiss attorney general following the arrest of 14 Fifa members earlier in the year for racketting and fraud charges. The shake up is good for Fifa and football in general, as it helps establish the useful principle that nobody is untouchable. Fifa has long been believed to be a highly corrup organisation, so perhaps it is now undergoing a transition that will move it forward.
