FIFA Ethics Committee Opens Proceedings Against Blatter, Platini

The adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee decided to institute formal proceedings against FIFA President Joseph Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee opened Monday formal adjudicatory proceedings against FIFA President Joseph Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini, based on the results of the corruption probe against them, the football governing body said.

“The adjudicatory chamber has studied the [investigatory chamber]  reports carefully and decided to institute formal proceedings against the two officials… The adjudicatory chamber intends to come to a decision in both cases during the month of December,” the statement read.

In late September, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General launched a probe into corruption claims against Blatter over making a "disloyal payment" of $2.05 million to Platini in 2011 at the expense of FIFA, for the work allegedly performed in 1999-2002. Blatter and Platini told investigators the payment was legal, but the committee provisionally suspended both last month.

Last week, the Ethics Committee requested that sanctions be imposed against both Blatter and Platini.