FIFA Ban: Swiss Federal Court Reject Platini’s Appeal

Michel Platini, French former president of European football federation UEFA, has failed again in his attempt to beat a ban from
involvement in the game worldwide.

Platini was suspended for six years by the ethics committee of world governing body FIFA of which he had been a vice-president.

The 62-year-old former superstar captain of France was found to have engaged in a conflict of interest over a $2m payment in 2011 for work which, he claimed, had been undertaken almost a decade earlier.

Platini then decided to appeal, as was his right, to the Swiss Federal Court. In a ruling made last week on June 29 the first civil law chamber of the Federal Court of Lausanne upheld the decision of CAS.

Theoretically Platini could still appeal to the European Court of Human Rights but this would probably take longer than the outstanding two years remaining to his suspension.

Vincent Solari, his lawyer, told French media: “Michel Platini’s disappointment is very great following this decision of the Federal Court. He feels he has been unjustly punished and that this maintains the injustice.”

Sepp Blatter, simultaneously banned for having authorised the payment to Platini, ended his own appeal attempts after a vain appearance before CAS.