Fighting for their careers in football politics, Michel Platini plans to boycott his hearing at the FIFA ethics court on Friday while Sepp Blatter is expected to attend his on Thursday.
Platini is protesting the hearing because he believes his case has been pre-judged, his lawyers said Wednesday in a statement. Although FIFA investigators have asked for a life ban, Platini could escape with a ban of several years — a result that would still effectively exile him and end his FIFA presidential ambitions.
“By this decision Michel Platini means to express his deepest indignation with a process he regards as solely political and intended to prevent him from standing for the FIFA presidency,” the former France great’s lawyers said.
less than 90 minutes earlier, FIFA ethics committee judges had promised Platini a fair trial even if he carried out the threat to snub the hearing.
“We would like to clearly stress that the adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee will deal with the present case in the same way as with any other procedure independently and in an unbiased manner,” the ethics panel said in a statement.
The case centers on Platini getting about $2 million from FIFA in 2011 as uncontracted salary for his time working as a presidential adviser for Blatter in 1999-2002.
Because of the deal, both Blatter and Platini were banned for 90 days on Oct. 8.
Blatter, who also risks a life ban at the ethics hearing, has said he will appear in person on Thursday before the panel of four judges.
“I want to defend myself,” Blatter told French daily liberation in an interview, noting that recently he has not had the right to enter FIFA headquarters.
Platini’s lawyers and Blatter himself have questioned the integrity of the ethics committee during a period of intense legal trouble for scandal-hit FIFA.
The pressure from American and Swiss federal investigations into corruption implicating FIFA forced Blatter to announce his resignation plans in June. Platini was the favorite to succeed his former mentor and is now seeking to clear his name ahead of the Feb. 26 election.
Blatter, who turns 80 in March, appears to want a FIFA swansong by being cleared to host the election congress in Zurich and be made honorary president by the 209 member federations.
Both men were questioned by Swiss federal investigators at FIFA on Sept. 25 about the payment. Switzerland’s attorney general opened proceedings against Blatter for suspected criminal mismanagement of FIFA money, including the Platini payment and selling undervalued World Cup TV rights for the Caribbean to former FIFA vice president Jack Warner.
On Thursday, Blatter likely also faces questions about false accounting. The debt to Platini should have been detailed in FIFA’s accounts from 2002 until 2011, but was not, Scala told the Associated Press.
Verdicts on Platini and Blatter are expected next Monday or Tuesday. Any sanctions can be challenged at the FIFA appeals committee and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The cases are expected to be resolved by late January, at least one month before the FIFA election on February 26.
Election candidates to be quizzed
BRUSSElS: FIFA’s presidential candidates will be questioned by European lawmakers at a campaign meeting.
The NewFIFANow pressure group says three of the five candidates — Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Jerome Champagne and Tokyo Sexwale — are confirmed to attend on Jan. 27 in Brussels.
A fourth candidate, Gianni Infantino, is also expected at the forum co-organised by the European Parliament Sports Intergroup, NewFIFANow says.
Organisers say they offer candidates “an opportunity to present their platform and respond to questions of concern.”
It was unclear if Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa could attend.
FIFA officials plead not guilty
NEW YORK: A sprawling US bribery prosecution that has scandalised football’s governing body took another step forward on Tuesday, with the former president of Honduras and a former FIFA vice president pleading not guilty at their first court appearance and authorities announcing that two other defendants would be extradited to face charges as well.
Former President Rafael Callejas, a current member of FIFA’s television and marketing committee, was ordered held without bail at a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn. A judge agreed to release former FIFA Vice President Juan Angel Napout on $20 million bond with various restrictions, including electronic monitoring and home detention. Both men are facing racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud charges for their alleged roles in a bribery scheme involving lucrative broadcasting and hosting rights for the World Cup and football’s other biggest events.
On Tuesday, authorities announced that two of the original 14 — Nicolas leoz, another former head of the South American football confederation, and Eduardo li, former head of the Costa Rican football federation — would be extradited to the United States.
A Paraguay appeals court approved leoz’s extradition, while li withdrew his appeal and agreed to depart Switzerland and be turned over to US authorities.
FIFA bribery case suspect Eduardo li has agreed to be extradited to the United States after more than six months in jail.
Switzerland’s Justice Ministry says the former Costa Rican Football Federation president withdrew his appeal against a ruling granting his extradition. The ministry says “no details concerning when li will be handed over to the USA will be disclosed.”