Blatter and Platini banned for 8 years by FIFA

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini were each banned for eight years by the FIFA Ethics Committee on Monday - a stunning fall for world soccer's most powerful leaders.

FIFA President Blatter and his one-time protege Platini were kicked out of the sport for conflict of interest and disloyalty to FIFA in a $2 million payment deal that is also the subject of a criminal investigation in Switzerland.

Blatter's FIFA career is ending in disgrace after more than 17 years as president and 40 years with the scandal-hit governing body.

Platini's attempt to succeed his former mentor in the Feb 26 presidential election is now probably over, although both are expected to appeal to the FIFA Appeals Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Ethics judges decided that Blatter and Platini broke FIFA Code of Ethics rules on conflicts of interest, breaches of loyalty and offering or receiving gifts.

Both denied wrongdoing in 2011 when Platini took $2 million of FIFA money approved by Blatter as uncontracted salary for work as a presidential adviser from 1999 to 2002.

Blatter was fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,250) and Platini, a FIFA vice-president and head of European soccer's governing body UEFA, was fined 80,000 Swiss francs.

"Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Mr Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this payment," the judges said. "By failing to place FIFA's interests first and abstain from doing anything which could be contrary to FIFA's interests, Mr Blatter violated his fiduciary duty to FIFA." The judges said Platini "failed to act with complete credibility and integrity".