Sepp Blatter loses appeal against six-year FIFA ban

Sepp Blatter says he has lost his Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal against a six-year ban by FIFA.

Blatter said in a statement the judgement was "difficult" to accept but that "the way the case progressed, no other verdict could be expected".

The former FIFA president, who was banned for approving a £1.3m payment to Michel Platini in 2011, said he will accept the decision.

Blatter could have appealed to Switzerland's Supreme Court. It can annul verdicts if legal process was abused.

The pair's suspensions had previously been reduced from eight to six years by a FIFA appeals committee, with their services to football a mitigating factor.

Platini took his case to CAS and Blatter followed suit. Platini in May had his suspension reduced by a further two years to four years, but Blatter's full sanction remains in place.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport was judging whether Blatter was guilty of unethically offering a cash gift and conflict of interest.

A CAS statement read: "The appeal of Joseph S. Blatter has been dismissed. As a consequence, the decision rendered by the FIFA Appeal Committee (FIFA AC) on 16 February 2016 remains in force and Mr Blatter remains banned from taking part in any football-related activity at national and international level for six years as from 8 October 2015 and must pay a fine of 50,000 Swiss francs.

"By approving a payment of £1.3m to Mr Platini in 2011 for the balance of work carried out under the alleged oral agreement, Mr Blatter breached the FIFA Code of Ethics since the payment amounted to an undue gift as it had no contractual basis.

"The Panel further found that Mr Blatter unlawfully awarded contributions to Mr Platini under the FIFA Executive Committee retirement scheme which also amounted to an undue gift."