This could
be a big blow to the UEFA boss and his ambitions of heading football's governing
body. Michel Platini is already serving a 90-day suspension from
football-related activities.
Deutsche Welle, 24 Nov 2015
UEFA's
president, Michel Platini, who hopes to succeed Sepp Blatter atop FIFA, could
face a life ban from football, according to his lawyer.
Lawyer
Thibaud d'Ales said that FIFA's ethics committee asked for the maximum sanction
when it submitted its final case report on a payment of 2 million Swiss francs
(1.84 million euros, $1.97 million), one Platini received from Blatter.
Platini's lawyer said the bid for a lifelong ban was a "scandal" and
"excessive."
"This
ban is subject to the proof of corruption, but the punishment is clearly
excessive," D'Ales told Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency. "It's
not based on anything in the case."
"The
overreaching of the request really convinces us of this commission's total lack
of credibility," D'Ales told the Associated Press (AP). "There is not
a single tangible element in this case that can confirm the suspicions."
The ethics
committee will announce its final verdict next month, FIFA said on Monday, when
Platini will face a hearing in front of German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert.
Platini,
60, and Blatter, 79, are both serving a 90-day suspension from FIFA, football's
governing body, because of a corruption charge involving the alledged payment.
Both had their appeals denied last week, and Platini is taking his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) .
Platini is
in his eighth year as president of UEFA. He also worked as a presidential
advisor to Blatter from 1998-2002. His current ban from FIFA had so far
prevented him from officially applying for the FIFA presidency - in an election
due to take place on February 26. A lifetime ban would categorically end his hopes
for the job.
dv/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)
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