Advertisement

Blatter hints at new evidence to challenge six-year Fifa ban

Disgraced former Fifa chief wants to challenge his suspension, saying it’s time to question the decision of the world governing body’s ethics committee

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter wants to clear his name. Photo: AP

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter claims to have “new facts” and wants to reopen the financial misconduct case that led to his six-year ban.

Advertisement

“As new facts have appeared it’s time to question the decision of the Fifa Ethics-Committee – my suspension of 6 years!” Blatter said on Friday on his reactivated Twitter account.

Asked for details of potential evidence, Blatter spokesman Thomas Renggli replied in a message: “We are working on it.”

Blatter is barred from soccer through October 2021 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld his ban for payments to one-time adviser Michel Platini. The case cost Platini the Uefa presidency, and stopped him from being a candidate to replace Blatter in the 2016 election.

The CAS judges said Blatter was “reckless” for paying Platini US$2 million in uncontracted salary more than eight years after the former France great stopped being employed by Fifa.

Advertisement

Blatter also effectively added US$1 million to Platini’s Fifa pension fund reserved for executive committee members by extending entitlement against the rules for the years he worked as an adviser.

Advertisement