|
Blatter, head of soccer's scandal-plagued governing body
since 1998, was banned in December from all football-related
activity for eight years by the ethics committee of FIFA, mired
in the worst graft scandal its 111-year history.
"Mr Blatter will attend an appeal hearing at on Feb 16, at the
home of FIFA, and we expect the decision as soon as possible,"
his advistor Thomas Renggli told Reuters.
Blatter's case will initially be dealt with by FIFA's own Appeal
Committee. Renggli said that, if he is unsuccessful, he will go
to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.
Blatter, 79, who has denied wrongdoing, was banned for ethics
violations over a 2 million Swiss francs ($1.96 million) payment
FIFA made to European soccer boss Michel Platini with Blatter's
approval in 2011.
Platini, who had been the favourite to succeed Blatter, was also
banned for eight years. The election for the new FIFA president
will take place in Zurich on Feb.26.
A total of 41 individuals and entities, including many former
FIFA officials, have been charged with corruption-related
offences in the United States as part of the wider scandal.
The U.S. investigation is far from over and FIFA also faces a
parallel Swiss investigation.
($1 = 1.0215 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Brian Homewood; editing
by Ralph Boulton)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
