An ethics committee are investigating Blatter, Platini and FIFA as football's governing body is brought to its knees

UEFA president Michael Platini has insisted there is nothing untoward about a £1.35million payment he received

Blatter is embroiled in an ongoing corruption scandal that has engulfed football's governing body


The two most powerful figures in world football are on the brink of losing their thrones.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini are both facing 90-day suspensions that will effectively end their reigns. It will also knock Platini out of the FIFA presidential race, which he had started as the hottest of favourites.

The investigatory chamber of FIFA's ethics committee are understood to have recommended the immediate suspension of the pair in another extraordinary development in the FIFA corruption scandal.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter (right, pictured during an event held in his honour in his hometown of Ulrichen in Switzerland in August) has been 'provisionally suspended for 90 days' by the governing body's ethics committee amid a criminal investigation into him

Blatter, 79, who has held FIFA's top job since 1998, has been embroiled in corruption allegations

Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini (left) are both facing suspensions which could spell their demise

This follows the ethics committee's inquiry into the £1.35million payment Platini received in 2011 for consultancy work for Blatter nine years earlier, a time lag which he has yet to explain.

Blatter is also being investigated for selling World Cup TV rights to his FIFA colleague Jack Warner at a knock-down price that later netted the Trinidadian an £11m profit.

Now FIFA's adjudicatory chamber, headed by Hans-Joachim Eckert, has to decide — probably by the end of the week — whether to rubber-stamp both suspensions.

THE TWO KEY ALLEGATIONS 1. Criminal mismanagement or misappropriation over a TV rights deal Blatter signed with former Caribbean football president Jack Warner in 2005 — violating his financial responsibilities and acting against the interests of FIFA. 2: 'Disloyal' payment of two million Swiss francs (£1.35m) to Michel Platini at the expense of FIFA in February 2011. Advertisement

Those bans would see Blatter and Platini out of office until early January — and should effectively end Blatter's 17-year reign in charge of world football's wholly tarnished governing body and Platini's eight-year tenure as president of UEFA.

But, such are the machinations in Zurich, Blatter supporters are clinging to the hope that he can still return to office, since nearly all the presidential candidates may be discredited in the meantime.

Issa Hayatou, boss of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is next in line to take caretaker charge until the election of the next president on February 26.

And Spain's Angel Maria Villar Llona will takeover from Platini at UEFA where there must be strong doubts the French former football great can return.

Such are the ways of FIFA, Villar llona is still under investigation by the ethics committee for non-co-operation with the Garcia report into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

And Hayatou, mired for years in FIFA corruption scandals, has been reprimanded by the IOC for taking bribes from defunct marketing company ISL.

Swiss PR man Klaus Stohlker, Blatter's long-time consultant, said: 'What we know is that President Blatter was told he could be suspended for 90 days.

'The ethics committee has not taken any key decisions they are waiting for further investigations.

'There is no guilt impugned. They put the ball to Mr Lauber (the Swiss Attorney General). He is now in position for further investigation.

'At least President Blatter has not flown away from his throne but is still in power.

'It is a very difficult situation. It's not good for global football . The first floor (investigatory chamber) has taken the decision today . That's why the second (adjudicatory) needs to take the decision.'

Stohlker said about Blatter's demeanour.'He is quiet, he is reluctant, he is fully prepared to take his responsibilities. He is the only one who can lead FIFA. The picture for 90 days is not pleasant.'

UEFA president Platini insists that there is nothing suspicious about the payment he got from FIFA

Platini was said to be still in the dark about his impending fate. Earlier, Blatter told the German magazine Bunte: 'I am being condemned without there being any evidence for wrongdoing on my part. That is really outrageous.

'I am convinced that evil will come to light and good will prevail.'

A spokesman had said earlier about that murky Blatter payment: 'The president currently feels that he has given satisfactory explanations to the authorities that are dealing with this case.

'Publicly he feels there is nothing else to add because he feels he has done nothing wrong and therefore does not need to justify himself publicly at the moment.'

TROUBLED TIMES FOR FIFA: Jerome Valcke (general secretary): Released from duties after allegations that he was implicated in a ticketing scandal. Chuck Blazer (executive committee member): Banned from all football-related activity for life after admitting he took and facilitated bribes for the awarding of the 1998 and 2010 World Cups. Eugenio Figueredo (executive committee vice-president), Jeffrey Webb (executive committee vice-president), Nicolas Leoz (executive committee), Eduardo Li (executive committee), Jose Maria Marin (2014 World Cup committee), Julio Rocha Lopez (FIFA development officer): All arrested by US authorities on corruption charges. Joao Havelange (honorary president): Resigned after being accused of taking bribes. Vernon Manilal Fernando (executive committee): Banned for life after investigation into bribery and corruption. Ricardo Teixeira (executive committee): Resigned after being accused of taking bribes. Mohamed Bin Hammam (executive committee): Banned from all football activity for life after being found guilty of bribery. Jack Warner (executive committee): Resigned after being suspended on suspicion of bribery. Advertisement

South Korean presidential candidate Chung Jung-moon is also being investigated by the FIFA ethics committee. And he could also be suspended and out of the FIFA race by the end of the week.

But as the House of FIFA crumbles brick-by-brick, Chung spectacularly added to the carnage by threatening Blatter with a £100m lawsuit as part of the crazy in-fighting .

Dr Chung is threatening massive legal action against Blatter in the Swiss court for embezzlement calling him the 'corrupt ' head of an organised crime network.

Chung intends to sue Blatter because his unknown salary was not approved by the FIFA ExCo – and was personally responsible for the Visa/Mastercard and ISL scandals.

But the transparency that Chung is chasing in his FIFA manifesto was not apparent in his own recollections of his vote-sharing agreement with England's former FIFA vice-president Geoff Thompson.

The England 2018 bid team are united in confirming this was the case – so much so Chung shared a celebratory glass of malt whisky with Prince William in the Bar au Lac hotel in Zurich on the eve of the vote in December 2010.

Several of FIFA's leading sponsors, including Coca-Cola, have called for Blatter's immediate resignation

FIFA is engulfed in a corruption scandal, with the FBI having raided their offices and arrested several executives in Zurich

The five-star Hotel Baur au Lac in Zurich, which was the scene of Chung Jung-moon's glass of malt whiskey with Prince William in 2010

But Chung said when questioned on whether he promised his vote for England refused to answer clearly saying: ' It was evening time and Prince William proposed to have a cup of tea. So I asked his majesty why don't we have a glass of Scotch whisky and there was a hurry to bring it.

'I wanted to remind you British you are a country of whisky for many non-Europeans.'

Chung added: 'You know I am an ordinary human being and I served as vice-president for 17 years – do you think I am that stupid. I know how to respect FIFA regulations. You respect your own laws. I respect FIFA regulations . You don't really appreciate (our) Asian intellectual level, that's too bad.'

Chung added: 'FIFA has become a badge of shame. I want to make people proud to wear the FIFA blazer again.'

And billionaire Chung, whose father founded Hyundai, said of his proposed Blatter lawsuit.

'My understanding is the amount of money I can claim against president Blatter is in proportion with the amount of damage he inflicted on FIFA.

'A $100m fine that happened in 2006. It must be bigger than that. And if I succeed the money should go back to FIFA. If FIFA is generous enough they may think how to appreciate my efforts.'

TIMELINE OF CONTROVERSY: MAY 2002 After becoming FIFA president in 1998, Blatter seeks re-election four years later but his campaign is blighted by rumours of financial irregularities. DEC 2010 Blatter reveals Qatar will stage the 2022 World Cup. MAY 2011 After rival Mohammed bin Hammam withdraws from the presidential election amid allegations of bribery, Blatter runs unopposed and elected for a fourth term. APRIL 2013 FIFA's ethics committee concludes an investigation into bribery allegations surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Blatter is cleared of any wrongdoing. MAY 2015 Fourteen FIFA officials are arrested over 'rampant and systemic' corruption allegations. Blatter is urged to resign, despite not being implicated. He is again re-elected as FIFA president. JUNE 2015 Blatter announces his resignation as president, before Swiss newspaper Blick claims he did not actually resign. SEPTEMBER 2015 Swiss prosecutors open a criminal investigation into him. OCTOBER 2015 A 90-day suspension is recommended by FIFA's ethics committee. Advertisement

But Blatter's scorched earth policy of seeing off all his foes looks like destroying Chung's presidential hopes along with Platini's.

And to think the FA rushed out in support of Platini for the FIFA presidency before he had published a manifesto that is now unlikely to see the light of day.

Prince Ali of Jordan, who put up a poor showing against Blatter in the election last May, is now the only credible candidate in the field.

But Tokyo Sexwale, of South Africa looks ready to run having been endorsed by Franz Beckenbauer – yet another former FIFA ExCo member under investigation by the ethics committee