Michel Platini’s appeal against a six-year ban from all football-related activity will go before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne today.
Platini and Sepp Blatter were punished in December over a $2.71 million ‘disloyal payment’ made to the Frenchman by the former FIFA president. They were given eight-year suspensions which were reduced by two years in recognition of their services to the game, but both deny any wrongdoing and neither is satisfied by the appeal verdict.
Both are challenging the bans at CAS, with a verdict on Platini’s case unlikely on Friday and almost certain to come at a later date, possibly next week. After the reduction in his sanction, Platini reacted to an ‘insulting’ and ‘shameful’ decision, by saying it was designed to prevent him from challenging for the FIFA presidency, but told L’Equipe: “I’m not going to commit suicide.”
A lawyer representing Platini told L’Equipe earlier this week that he expected the former France captain to be cleared. UEFA will be keenly awaiting the outcome as it has delayed presidential elections until Platini’s case is concluded.
Platini has already been invited to EURO 2016 in France, but the ban from football-related activity would not allow him to attend the tournament in any capacity which could appear official.
