Breaking News: CAS reject Platini appeal over FIFA ban
Michel Platini’s appeal against the temporary lifting of his 90-day FIFA suspension has been rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but football’s governing body has been ordered not to extend the sanction.
UEFA president Platini – along with outgoing FIFA boss Sepp Blatter – was banned in early October by FIFA’s Ethics Committee over a “disloyal payment” allegedly made to the Frenchman in 2011, though both deny any wrongdoing.
Platini launched an appeal against the sanction in November, but on Friday CAS announced the three-time Ballon d’Or winner had been unsuccessful.
As a result, he will be unable to attend UEFA’s Executive Committee meeting in Paris on Friday and Saturday’s draw for Euro 2016.
Platini is also unable to revive his bid to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA president while his suspension remains in place.
Matters for the Frenchman could soon worsen as he is expected to face a final verdict from FIFA’s Ethics Committee next week, with Platini’s lawyer claiming last month a lifetime ban from football has been sought.
FIFA will hold a congress on February 26 next year to determine Blatter’s successor, with Platini’s initial ban set to expire on January 5.
A CAS statement suggested that their decision had been taken with Platini’s presidential bid in mind.
It read: “The CAS Panel… determined that maintaining the provisional suspension for the remainder of the 90 days does not cause irreparable harm to Michel Platini at this point in time.
“Indeed, the CAS Panel has noted that, at the hearing of 8 December 2015, FIFA’s representatives confirmed FIFA’s assurances expressed earlier that the FIFA Ethics Committee would render its final decision on the merits on or before 5 January 2016, i.e. before the provisional suspension comes to an end.
“The CAS Panel also emphasized that, even if the ban were lifted at this time, such measure would not give any guarantee to Michel Platini that the FIFA ad hoc electoral committee would validate his candidature for the FIFA presidential election before 5 January 2016.
“However, the CAS Panel considered that the situation would change if FIFA were to extend the provisional suspension for any period up to 45 days, on the basis of “exceptional circumstances” as permitted by Art. 85 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
“The Panel found that such an extension would constitute an undue and unjustified restriction of Michel Platini’s right of access to justice, cause irreparable harm to him and also tip the balance of interest test in his favour.
“As a consequence, the CAS Panel ordered FIFA not to extend the current provisional suspension imposed on Michel Platini.”
