Insult to Injury! Sepp Blatter's Suspension May Be Extended to 5 Years

 

According to a report in Germany, both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini could see their current 90-day suspensions extended to a whopping five years.

FIFA’s ethics committee already suspended both men over the issue of significant and “disloyal” payments from Blatter to Platini in 2011 – which the pair claim was from a “gentleman’s agreement” over work Platini did years before – but also reserved the right to extend the term of their bans pending further investigation.

 

If this report pans out and both Blatter and Platini are given five-year bans, it would represent a huge shift in the FIFA landscape. A year ago, even the short-term suspensions they’re currently on would have been unthinkable.

Even in the immediate wake of the corruption scandal that set us down the road we’re on, figures as major as Blatter and Platini being given five-year bans seemed hilariously unlikely.

The ethics committee still hasn’t made a public decision, and we probably won’t hear anything official until after the emergency meeting the FIFA executive committee called for early next week.

If they are banned as reported, Blatter and Platini would be able to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal the decision.

However, a positive result for them would be far from certain – the FIFA ethics committee wouldn’t be taking this kind of action against the presidents of FIFA and UEFA unless they had an airtight case.