Sepp Blatter on the brink with suspension hanging over FIFA president
Thursday 8 October 2015 11:34, UK
Sepp Blatter's 17-year reign as FIFA president could end on Thursday following recommendations he be suspended for 90 days.
The FIFA ethics committee met this week after the Swiss Attorney General opened criminal proceedings against Blatter, who denies any wrongdoing, over a £1.35m payment to UEFA president Michel Platini and recommended the suspension.
The fate of Blatter, who intended to stand down at the presidential elections on February 26, now rests with the head of the German adjudicatory Judge Joachim Eckert.
Despite the threat of suspension, Blatter still intended to turn up for work at FIFA on Thursday with Klaus Stohlker, a friend and adviser to the 79-year-old, stating the ethics committee had made the ruling pending further investigations.
Stohlker said no negative finding had been made against Blatter and that a suspension was not "active".
Blatter's lawyers released a statement on Wednesday evening claiming their client was unaware of any suspension or disciplinary action.
Swiss lawyer Lorenz Erni of Erni Brun Forrer said: "We would expect that the Ethics Committee would want to hear from the President and his counsel, and conduct a thorough review of the evidence, before making any recommendation to take disciplinary action."
Chief Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol said Issa Hayatou, head of the African Football Federation, would take over in the short term to lead FIFA if Blatter's ban was endorsed.
Solhekol told SSNHQ: "If you think the FIFA ethics committee is truly independent then Blatter will be suspended today.
"If you don't think it is independent and it's just a plaything of Blatter and something he set up himself to cover up what's going on then there could still be some wriggle room for Blatter and he could convince the judge to let him stay on."
Doubts remain over the future of Platini with reports in German newspaper Die Welt saying the UEFA president was also facing a possible provisional suspension.
The payment to Platini being investigated was made in February 2011 for work he carried out as Blatter's technical advisor more than nine years previously, between 1999 and 2002. Platini does not feel the need to publicly justify his £1.35m FIFA payment despite questions about the delay in receiving the money.
Solhekol added: "Platini was a favourite to take over Blatter. Some enemies have accused him of being the son of Blatter.
"Sources close to him say he has not heard from the ethics committee. If he was suspended though he couldn't stand as FIFA president. Could he carry on as president of UEFA while he was suspended? That's unlikely."
Wednesday night's events came just hours after Blatter criticised the criminal investigation against him in Switzerland, describing it as "outrageous".
The Swiss also defended his decision to remain as head of the football organising body and not step down immediately, as worldwide sponsors have urged.
The 90-day suspension is the longest FIFA's ethics committee can hand down while they carry out their investigation.
Blatter has had criminal proceedings opened against him by the Swiss Attorney General over the case and for allegedly selling World Cup TV rights to former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner for 20 times below their true value.
