Former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter given new six year, eight month ban from football

FIFA has given its former president, Sepp Blatter, a new ban from football lasting six years and eight months.

The football body said it had been imposed for multiple breaches of its ethics code, “in particular concerning bonus payments”.

It will come into force when a current suspension ends in October, the governing body added.

A suspension of the same length has been given to FIFA’s former secretary general, Jerome Valcke.

Both men have also been fined one million Swiss francs (£780,000), FIFA said.

FIFA’s ethics investigators said Blatter had been involved in implementing a bonus scheme from which he and other officials, including Valcke, had benefited.

They found Blatter had accepted an “undue economic benefit” of 23m Swiss francs (almost £18m) between 2010 and 2014.

Investigators added that Blatter and Valcke, along with two other officials, had “set up a scheme through which they were allowing themselves to obtain extraordinary benefits with a minimum of effort”.

FIFA said: “By (Blatter’s) conduct, the integrity and objectivity of FIFA have been exceedingly violated.

“FIFA’s reputation has doubtlessly incurred serious and long-lasting damage.”

The adjudicatory chamber of the body’s ethics committee found Blatter, 85, in breach of rules concerning duty of loyalty, conflicts of interest and offering or accepting gifts or other benefits.

Valcke was found to have breached those same ethics code articles, plus abuse of position.

FIFA said in a statement: “The investigations into Messrs Blatter and Valcke covered various charges, in particular concerning bonus payments in relation to FIFA competitions that were paid to top FIFA management officials, various amendments and extensions of employment contracts, as well as reimbursement by FIFA of private legal costs in the case of Mr Valcke.”

Blatter, who was FIFA president from June 1998 until December 2015, was initially banned for eight years over ethics breaches.

That sanction was reduced to six years by FIFA’s appeals committee and upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Valcke’s original ban was 12 years, cut to 10 on appeal.

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