ZURICH: World football chief Sepp Blatter and European boss Michel Platini were suspended on Thursday in a deepening corruption scandal, decapitating the leadership of a sport facing criminal investigations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mr Blatter, the Swiss who has been president of world governing body FIFA since 1998, was already due to stand down after an election to replace him in February.

Mr Platini, head of European body UEFA, was a frontrunner to replace him. His shrinking election hopes now depend on whether he can overturn the 90-day ban imposed by FIFA’s Ethics Committee.

Despite their denials of wrongdoing, both men have gradually been submerged by the scandal that has engulfed the world’s most popular sport, beginning with dawn raids and a series of arrests at a Swiss luxury hotel in May.

Another presidential hopeful, Chung Mong-joon, was suspended for six years in a separate case and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke was banned for 90 days. The suspensions can be extended by up to 45 days.

While FIFA said the suspensions were “provisional”, the action almost certainly signals the end of the reign of Mr Blatter and deals a major blow to Mr Platini’s hopes of taking over.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2015

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