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PLATINI

Frenchman Platini hit with suspension by Fifa

Uefa president Michel Platini has been hit with a suspension by world football governing body Fifa along with the organisation's president Sepp Blatter.

Frenchman Platini hit with suspension by Fifa
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have both been suspended from Fifa. Photo: AFP

The sentences were handed out by the ethics committee of football's world governing body, Fifa on Thursday morning.

Blatter, secretary general Jerôme Valcke and Uefa president Platini are being investigated by the committee over corruption allegations. The three are now banned from any football activity for the next 90 days.

Former French international Platini is accused of accepting a €1.8 million “disloyal payment” from Blatter back in 2011.

“The grounds for these decisions are the investigations that are being carried out by the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee,” Fifa said in a statement.

“The duration of the bans may be extended for an additional period not exceeding 45 days,” Fifa added.

Platini denies all wrongdoing and recently told AFP that he had nothing to hide.

“I have known for a long time that I would be the target of many unfounded attacks and I am conscious that these attacks will continue until the Fifa elections take place. There is no doubt about my integrity,” Platini said in an interview.

“I have done nothing wrong,” he insisted. 

The Frenchman, who is also Fifa's vice president, had hopes of succeeding Blatter in the top job and had formally submitted his application to become president on Thursday morning.

But the 90-day suspension could effectively end his chance of succeeding Blatter, who is the subject of a criminal investigation in Switzerland.

Although the ethics committee said the ban does not mean his candidacy is automatically void.

Platini, Blatter and Valcke all deny wrongdoing.

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FOOTBALL

Trial over 2006 German World Cup corruption opens in Switzerland

Three former German football officials and ex-FIFA Secretary General Urs Linsi went on trial on Monday in Switzerland over suspicions that Germany bought votes to obtain the 2006 World Cup.

Trial over 2006 German World Cup corruption opens in Switzerland
Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

The three defendants have indicated that they will not be present at the hearing in Bellinzona for a variety of reasons, including fear of travelling because of coronavirus contagion.

Swiss Linsi, 70, former German Football Association (DFB) presidents Wolfgang Niersbach, 69, and Theo Zwanziger, 74, and 78-year-old former DFB General Secretary Horst R. Schmidt are being prosecuted for “fraud”.

They are accused by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office (BA) of concealing from the DFB the true destination of a transfer of 6.7 million euros ($7.6 million today), paid in 2005 by the organising committee to former Adidas boss, the late Robert Louis-Dreyfus, via FIFA.

The case of former World Cup organising committee chairman Franz Beckenbauer is being heard separately because of the former Germany captain's poor health.

The investigation was prompted by a report in German publication Der Spiegel in 2015 that Germany had used a secret fund of 10 million Swiss francs (6.7 million euros at the time) to buy votes and obtain the rights to host the competition at the expense of South Africa.

Beckenbauer is suspected of having asked Louis-Dreyfus, to contribute to this fund shortly before the vote on the host in the summer of 2000.

Louis-Dreyfus was allegedly reimbursed by the German Football Association on the pretext of expenses related to a FIFA gala evening, which ever took place.

Zwanziger, Niersbach and Schmidt have also been charged with tax fraud in Germany and the case is expected to come to trial in the coming months. cpb/pb/td

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