Blatter loses appeal against six-year ban
By Joe Prince-WrightDec 5, 2016, 9:25 AM EST
Sepp Blatter should get the message this time.
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It was announced on Monday that the former president of FIFA from 1998 until 2015 has lost his appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a six-year ban from all soccer related activity.
After being found guilty of making an illegal payment of $1.65 million to the former head of UEFA, and close friend, Michel Platini, in 2011, the Swiss official has already had his initial eight-year ban reduced to six and Platini had his eight-year ban reduced to four years.
However, Blatter has reached the end game and at the age of 80, it is unlikely he will ever hold any position in world soccer ever again.
Plus, Blatter has the small matter of still being investigated by the Swiss authorities who are looking into FIFA's records, and the FBI continues to arrest and charge officials within world soccer's governing body due to allegations of widespread corruption over the past two decades.
Things could get much worse than a six-year ban for Blatter.
In a statement released by CAS, they revealed why Blatter's appealed had been turned down:
"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."