agence france-presse
Zurich, Dec 19: A FIFA ethics court Friday spent nine hours listening to corruption accusations against the world governing body’s vice-president Michel Platini, who boycotted the hearing.
The French football legend’s lawyers pleaded Platini’s case before the FIFA investigatory chamber and later reiterated that he ‘is innocent’. “Mr Platini is innocent. That is what we have evidenced to the commission today (Friday) through witness testimony and a number of other evidences,” his lawyer Thibaud d’Ales told reporters gathered outside FIFA headquarters here. “Now we are hoping that the ethics commission will render the law.”
A verdict is to be given Monday, according to sources close to FIFA. But as much as Platini and Blatter’s lawyers continue to claim that both are ‘innocent’, indications are that both will be handed life bans. In fact the verdict will signal the end of their football career as administrators. Blatter had been questioned for eight hours. Platini said earlier that the verdict was decided in advance and refused to attend the hearing in Switzerland, leaving his legal team to fight his corner.