Fifa crisis: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini face lengthy bans as ethics committee launches formal proceedings

Blatter and Platini are being investigated over a £1.3m payment made between the pair in 2011

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini (GETTY IMAGES)

Fifa’s ethics committee has opened formal proceedings against president Sepp Blatter and Uefa president Michel Platini.

The adjudicatory chamber of Fifa’s independent ethics committee has opened the proceedings following the investigation into Blatter and Platini, after chairman Hans-Joachim Eckert, the German judge who heads the adjudicatory chamber of Fifa's ethics committee, received the final report from the investigatory chamber.

A statement released by Fifa on Monday read: “The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert has today opened formal adjudicatory proceedings against Joseph S. Blatter and Michel Platini based on the final reports submitted by the investigatory chamber.

“The adjudicatory chamber has studied the reports carefully and decided to institute formal proceedings against the two officials. For reasons linked to privacy rights and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, the adjudicatory chamber will not publish details of the sanctions requested by the investigatory chamber in its final reports.”

The statement added that the adjudicatory chamber hopes to make a decision over the future of both Blatter and Platini by the end of the year.

It added: “In the course of the proceedings, both parties will be invited to submit positions including any evidence with regard to the final reports of the investigatory chamber (art. 70 par. 2 of the FIFA Code of Ethics) and they may request a hearing (art. 74 par. 2 of the FCE). The adjudicatory chamber intends to come to a decision in both cases during the month of December.”

Blatter and Platini are facing lengthy bans from Fifa if they are found guilty over several breaches of the governing body’s ethics code due to a £1.3m payment made by Blatter to Platini in 2011, which they claim was for work carried out by the Frenchman from 1998 until 2002.