Platini Football Ban Reduced To Four Years
Michel Platini’s six-year ban for accepting a disloyal payment of £1.35m from Sepp Blatter in 2011 has been cut to four years on appeal.
His lawyer said he would now resign as UEFA president after failing to overturn the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The court ruled the French football legend was guilty of a conflict of interest for taking the money.
The deal was the subject of a criminal investigation in Switzerland and was revealed by Swiss federal prosecutors last September.
The court said its judges were “not convinced” the payment was legitimate and cited “the absence of any repentance and the impact that this matter has had on FIFA’s reputation” as a factor in reaching their decision.
Platini and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter were initially banned from football for eight years by world football’s governing body over the payment.
It was reduced in December to six years following an initial appeal.
The reduced four-year ban runs beyond his current UEFA mandate, which expires in March 2019.
The former French star had acknowledged his long, illustrious career in the game would be over if he lost the appeal.
He has been head of European football’s governing body since 2007, which also gave him FIFA vice-president status.
The Frenchman was the favourite to replace Mr Blatter in February’s FIFA presidential elections and take football’s top job, but he pulled out of the race in January.
More Stories
AFCON QUALIFIERS: LOOKMAN SCORES BRACE, OSIMHEN ON TARGET AS NIGERIA BEAT BENIN 3-0
Nigeria thrashed Benin Republic 3 goals to nil during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers match that took place at...
2024 PARALYMPICS: UGWUNWA WINS SILVER IN JAVELIN, SECURES FIFTH MEDAL FOR TEAM NIGERIA
Team Nigeria on Saturday in Paris at the 2024 Paralympic Games added a silver medal to its haul, after Flora...
FRANCE 1-3 ITALY: LES BLUES SUFFERS DEFEAT AT HOME, DIMARCO, FRATTESI SCORE, MBAPPÉ FIRES BLANK
Italy produced a top performance to beat France 3-1 in a UEFA Nations League group stage match on Friday match....
JURGEN KLOPP MAKES EMOTIONAL RETURN TO DORTMUND, SET TO MANAGE TESTIMONIAL GAME
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who departed the reds at the end of last season after a hugely successful spell...
NATIONAL YOUTH GAMES: LAGOS SECURES 10 SLOTS IN SOUTHWEST ELIMINATION ROUND
The Director-General of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu has commended Lagos athletes for securing 10 slots at the...
JUST IN: PARALYMPICS: ONYIYECHI MARK WINS NIGERIA’S FIRST GOLD MEDAL, SETS WORLD RECORD
Nigeria's Onyinyechi Mark broke the Paralympic record in the women's 61 kg powerlifting category by lifting an incredible 145 kg....