Platini criticises FIFA, insists candidacy still valid

Reuters

Michael Platini.

Platini was excluded earlier on Thursday from the list of candidates accepted for the FIFA presidential election.

UEFA president Michel Platini has criticised FIFA’s sluggishness in responding to his appeal against the ethics committee’s decision to suspend him for 90 days that prevented him from being named candidate for its presidential elections.

Platini was excluded earlier on Thursday from the list of candidates accepted for the FIFA presidential election; however he insists that his candidacy is still valid, reports Efe.

Platini’s lawyers said in a statement on Thursday that according to previous statements by the electoral committee, Platini’s bid will be reviewed after the end of his suspension period so his candidacy cannot be considered to have been rejected.

FIFA’s electoral committee announced five candidates who have been accepted for the presidential election to be held on February 26, including Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein (Jordan), Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa (Bahrain), Jerome Champagne (France), Gianni Infantino (Switzerland) and Tokyo Sexwale (South Africa).

However, the committee excluded Liberian Musa Bility as well as Platini, who is under a 90-day provisional suspension by FIFA’s ethics committee since October 8.

The electoral committee did not elaborate on Platini’s exclusion, but said that Bility was ruled out after reviewing “the content of the integrity check report relating to him.”

Blatter discharged from hospital

Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been discharged from hospital where he was admitted for six days due to high blood pressure.

“He had to stay a few days in hospital but now he is out... he is at home in (the canton of) Valais,” Blatter’s spokesman Klaus Stoelhker said.

“He is very happy and he is relaxing a few days until the beginning of next week and then he will be back,” the spokesman added.

The 79-year-old Swiss was temporarily suspended by the world organisation’s ethics committee for alleged involvement in financial corruption.

He underwent various medical checks late last week after suffering high blood pressure and remained hospitalised since then until his discharge on Thursday.

Stoelhker said Blatter’s most important message was that he will go ahead and fight the 90-day ban since he is absolutely convinced that the ethics committee cannot dismiss him by force.

FIFA president since 1998, Blatter was suspended from his duties on October 8 for 90 days.