GENEVA
— Michel Platini will resign as UEFA president after failing to
overturn his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which cut his
sanction from six to four years.
Platini called the verdict a "deep injustice" and said he will now step down from the UEFA position he has held since 2007.
CAS
effectively removed Platini from world soccer by ensuring his ban
"corresponds to the duration of a presidential term," the court said in a
statement.
Platini's current UEFA mandate expires in March 2019, and the next FIFA presidential election is due in May 2019.
"This
decision is inflicting me a suspension whose length will de facto
prevent me — as if by chance — from bidding for the next FIFA
presidential election," Platini said in a statement.
Leaving
UEFA also frees him to pursue an appeal to Swiss courts and "establish
my integrity in this case," Platini said. Switzerland's supreme court
can overturn verdicts if legal process is abused but will not re-judge
the evidence.
The
court ruled that Platini was guilty of conflict of interest for taking a
$2 million payment from FIFA approved by Sepp Blatter in 2011. The
money was uncontracted extra salary for working as Blatter's
presidential adviser from 1999-2002, and was largely unknown until it
was revealed by Swiss federal prosecutors last September.
The
CAS panel "was not convinced by the legitimacy of the 2,000,000 Swiss
francs payment, which was only recognized by Mr. Platini and Mr.
Blatter," the CAS statement said.
Platini
got the money "more than eight years after the end of his work
relations, was not based on any document established at the time of the
contractual relations and did not correlate with the alleged unpaid part
of his salary," the court said.
In deciding the ban, the judges said Platini's attitude in court was a factor in the verdict.
The ruling cited "the absence of any repentance and the impact that this matter has had on FIFA's reputation."
FIFA
was also criticized by the court for knowing about the irregular
payment for four years before the independent ethics committee opened an
investigation. For that reason, CAS dismissed a FIFA ethics charge
against Platini of disloyalty to FIFA.
The case ended Platini's hopes of replacing Blatter at FIFA.
The
UEFA executive committee will meet next week in Basel, Switzerland, on
the sidelines of the Europa League final to discuss replacing Platini.
An election is likely in mid-September at meetings of European soccer
leaders in Athens, Greece.
UEFA said Monday that it will not appoint an interim leader ahead of the election, and did not comment on the verdict.
FIFA
also avoided comment in a brief statement, saying it "acknowledged the
decision," including cutting Platini's fine to 60,000 Swiss francs
($61,900) from 80,000 Swiss francs ($82,500).
Blatter is awaiting a CAS hearing to challenge his six-year ban.
Blatter
and Platini were provisionally suspended by the FIFA ethics committee
last October, then banned for eight years. FIFA's appeal panel cut two
years off their sanctions in February as reward for their long service
to the sport.
The
verdict came on Monday, one month before a project close to Platini's
heart — the European Championship in his native France — kicks off. He
captained France to the title when it last hosted the tournament in
1984.
Platini
said as he left his hearing at CAS that he will attend matches as a
guest at Euro 2016, played in nine cities from June 10-July 10. However,
his ban bars him from formal business contact with soccer officials and
he cannot present the trophy.
Platini
put his faith in the independence of CAS throughout his case, and
criticized the FIFA ethics court as biased. He often said there were
forces inside soccer's world body trying to block his presidential bid,
though he did not identify who.
The
CAS panel judged the evidence afresh and had the power to impose a life
ban on Platini if it believed bribery and corruption were factors.
Platini
received his money from FIFA in February 2011, when Blatter was
preparing for what became a bitterly fought re-election contest against
Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar. The Platini-led UEFA pledged support to
Blatter before Bin Hammam's candidacy was ended by allegations he bribed
Caribbean voters.
The timing of the payment in an election year was noted in the CAS statement on Monday.
Platini
and Blatter, the Frenchman's former mentor, deny wrongdoing, and claim
they had a verbal contract for the additional money.
Both
men, whose friendship soured as Platini's FIFA leadership ambitions
grew, have effectively been a star witness in each other's appeal case.
They were heard on back-to-back days at the two earlier FIFA tribunals.
An
entirely different CAS panel will judge Blatter's appeal and should
take into account the Platini verdict, CAS secretary general Matthieu
Reeb said last month.
In February, Blatter was replaced as FIFA president by Gianni Infantino, Platini's long-time right-hand man at UEFA.
UEFA
publicly stood by Platini since details emerged last September, when
Swiss federal prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against Blatter
for suspected mismanagement. Both men were quizzed at FIFA headquarters
after an executive committee meeting.
UEFA can opt to call a quick election ahead of Euro 2016 in Paris, but that is thought unlikely.
UEFA
and FIFA vice president Angel Maria Villar, the longtime Spanish soccer
federation president, is a contender to replace Platini but also has
history with the FIFA ethics committee. He was warned last November for
an indecent remark in 2014 to then-FIFA prosecutor Michael Garcia during
an investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid contests.
Another
UEFA vice president and federation leader, Michael van Praag of the
Netherlands, is a probable contender. Van Praag entered the 2015 FIFA
presidential contest but withdrew before election day.
UEFA
has never elected a president from eastern Europe and former players
now leading their national federations include Zbigniew Boniek,
Platini's former Juventus teammate from Poland, Davor Suker of Croatia
and Dejan Savicevic of Montenegro.
Platini's nine-year UEFA reign was notable for supporting eastern countries, and his endorsement could be significant.
___
Petrequin reported from Paris.
Platini to Resign After CAS Imposes 4-Year Ban From Soccer
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