Michel Platini will not attend FIFA ethics committee hearing on Friday

Michel Platini has decided not to attend his hearing before FIFA's ethics committee in Zurich, scheduled for Friday, his lawyers have stated.

A statement from the legal representatives of the suspended UEFA president said he chose to boycott the hearing after "the verdict was already announced to the press by a spokesman...going against the presumption of innocence."

Platini and FIFA president Sepp Blatter are currently serving 90-day bans from all footballing activities after Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal investigation looking partly into a £1.35m payment Blatter authorised to Platini in 2011, reportedly for work done a decade earlier.

Both men risk being banned for life.

Andreas Bantel, a spokesman for FIFA's ethics committee, was recently quoted by French sports daily L'Equipe as saying that Platini would be sidelined for "several years".

Platini's non-appearance will not change the way his case is heard by the ethics committee, according to a statement which read: "The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has taken note of Mr Platini's announcement to possibly not appear for Friday's hearing. 

"Thus, Mr Platini would miss the opportunity to present his points of view vis-a-vis the adjudicatory chamber in person.

"However, his legal representatives would be fully able to present his case at the hearing. We would like to clearly stress that the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee will deal with the present case in the same way as with any other procedure independently and in an unbiased manner."