Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has been banned for six years and eight months more, after being found guilty of violation of ethics codes. Blatter’s ongoing ban from football was set to expire in October of 2021, but the new ban could see him ruled out from football for the remainder of his life.
According to the governing body of football, Blatter had violated the ethics code “by accepting and receiving extraordinary bonuses in the amount of CHF 23 million, signed, approved or implemented by Messrs Grondona, Valcke and Kattner, and by concomitantly approving/offering extraordinary bonuses in the total of approximately CHF 46 million for Messrs Valcke, Grondona and Kattner”.
The latest investigation carried out into the matter revealed that Blatter, alongside general secretary Jerome Valcke, former vice-president Julio Grondona and ex-finance director Markus Kattner had received bonus payments for the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil.
Blatter has since been fined a million Swiss francs and has been slapped with the aforementioned ban from football as punishment.
“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,” the Ethics Committee said in the statement.
