Michel Platini loses appeal against provisional suspension

Michel Platini

Michel Platini, the Uefa president provisionally banned over a £1.35m “disloyal payment” from his FIFA counterpart Sepp Blatter, has failed in his bid to have his interim suspension lifted. The Frenchman had hoped to be able to attend Saturday’s Euro 2016 draw in Paris after applying to the court of arbitration for sport against his original 90-day provisional ban. But the CAS ruled that the decision by FIFA’s ethics committee should stand before a final ruling next week on the facts of the case.
The CAS did, however, caution FIFA against extending the provisional suspension beyond the current 90 days. Under its rules, the ethics committee could have added an extra 45 days to the ban, but the CAS panel said this would have been unfair to Platini. In the event, the argument is moot because the ethics committee has promised to deliver its verdict before Christmas. Platini’s lawyer, Thibaud d’Alès, said his client was satisfied with the ruling. “Michel Platini notes with satisfaction that CAS partially granted his request when it demanded that Fifa not extend his ban. In substance, he is confident that his case is solid.”