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Platini loses European court appeal against football ban

Former UEFA head Michel Platini has lost his appeal at the European Court of Human Rights against a four-year ban from football over a 2 million Swiss franc (1.8m euro) payment from then FIFA president Sepp Blatter in 2011.

Ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini, flanked by his lawyer William Bourdon, talks to the media as he leaves the Central Office for Combating Corruption and Financial and Tax Crimes after being arrested in connection with a criminal investigation into the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, in Nanterre, west of Paris in the early hours of June 19, 2019. – The banned ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini was freed from French custody Wednesday, an AFP journalist said, after several hours of questioning in connection with a criminal investigation into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. “He is no longer in custody,” William Bourdon, the lawyer of the French football legend, said shortly before 1:00 am. There had been “a lot of fuss over nothing”, he added. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP)

A chamber of seven judges at the Strasbourg-based court ruled Thursday that Platini’s “suspension from football-related professional activity was justified”.

“The court found in particular that, having regard to the seriousness of the misconduct, the senior position held by Mr Platini in football’s governing bodies and the need to restore the reputation of the sport and of FIFA, the sanction did not appear excessive or arbitrary,” it said.

Platini’s application, the court ruled, was “inadmissible”.

FIFA banned Platini, its then vice president, in 2015 over the payment he received, sparking years of bitter recriminations from the now 64-year-old Frenchman and a falling out with his former ally Blatter.

FIFA said it had taken note of the decision to reject Platini’s appeal, “which the court considered to be manifestly ill-founded”.

“This judgement is in line with the decision of FIFA’s ethics committee, which was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sports and also by the Swiss Federal Tribunal.”

FIFA said it would continue to seek restitution of the 2 million Swiss francs “unduly paid by former FIFA president Joseph Blatter to Mr. Platini back in February 2011”.

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