FIFA president Sepp Blatter, UEFA president, Michel Platini and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke have been suspended for a period of 90 days with allegations of corruption.
Blatter has been the head of FIFA for 17 years and his reign is all but over after it was decided by the investigatory arm of FIFA ethics committee that he was involved in an unethical sale of World cup TV rights.
The FIFA presidential elections are set to be held in February 2016 and Blatter will be suspended for most of the remaining period of his reign.
UEFA president, Michel Platini, was the favourite to succeed Blatter as the new FIFA president, but the former French international is also embroiled in corruption allegations, and has been handed a similar ban.
Earlier this year, Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber, opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Sepp Blatter sold the World Cup TV rights to Jack Warner in 2006, unethically.
Furthermore, the FIFA chief has also been accused of making a “disloyal payment” of £1.3m to Platini in 2011. Although the duo have denied the allegations, they will remain suspended for now.
Joining them will be the Fifa Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, who has now been banned for 90 days.
Fifa said in a statement: “The duration of the bans may be extended for an additional period not exceeding 45 days.”
Responding to the ban, Platini added – “I have always acted and expressed myself with honesty, courage and candour, as I feel that this is my moral duty. If what is being reported regarding the intentions of the investigatory chamber of the Fifa ethics committee is indeed true, I will stop at nothing to ensure that the truth is known. Nobody should be in any doubt as to my determination to achieve that objective.”
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