FIFA: Former President Sepp Blatter receives fresh ban

Sepp Blatter, FIFA president from 1998 to 2015 has received a fresh ban of six years and eight months from football.

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images 

Blatter, who is 85, received 23 million Swiss francs ($24.6 million) in “extraordinary bonuses” linked to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as well as the Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil that preceded it, FIFA’s Ethics Committee said in a statement.

Valcke, a 60-year-old Frenchman who was Blatter’s right-hand man during his 17-year reign at the head of football’s world governing body, received 30 million Swiss francs over the same period, the committee said.

The Ethics Committee said Blatter and Valcke had broken rules in FIFA’s Code of Ethics including “offering and accepting gifts or other benefits” and “abuse of position”.

Blatter’s new ban was imposed for multiple breaches of FIFA’s ethics code. The fresh ban would begin in October after his previous eight years ban from football which was reduced to six years ends.

Alongside Blatter, the former secretary-general Jerome Valcke also got six years suspension imposed by the organisation.

Both Blatter and Valcke were also fined £780,000. PMNews