Blatter and Platini lose FIFA appeals but bans reduced

FIFA has dismissed appeals from its longtime President Sepp Blatter and European soccer head Michel Platini against their bans from all football activity.

However, the duo have had their bans reduced from 8 to 6 years.

According to a statement by the ethics committee, the bans were reduced after it considered the duo’s activities and services rendered to football over the years.

The two men had been banned for eight years each following the FIFA ethics committee’s findings that Platini had received a $2 million payment from Blatter.

Blatter and Platini claimed the payment honoured a verbal or gentleman’s agreement made in 1998 for work carried out by the Frenchman when he was a technical advisor for Blatter.

The decision comes at a time that FIFA will hold an election to replace Blatter on Friday.