Breaking News: Blatter and Platini Suspended
I will be approaching my 30th birthday when Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini will end their suspension from football. The pair have been intertwined with scandal after scandal within the sport, often relating to rumours of bribery, corruption and ethical misconduct. Their decisions have caused many a violation within the footballing realms, so it is hardly surprising that they have not been reprimanded lightly.
Whilst displaying an image of Blatter’s sunken face, Reuters have noted that both men have also been fined, and are to carry out this lengthy ban from now onwards. Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President, and Michel Platini, the boss of European Soccer, should not have, under any circumstances, allowed for the fate of football to have hinged on large sums of money to sweeten any deal. In reality, the dodgy dealings both men have been associated with have absolutely cheapened football as a brand, and will have tarnished the sport entirely; such things will long remain a dark cloud over major tournaments to come, along with other big fixtures. It also suggests that all of FIFA’s decisions in the future will be monitored scrupulously to ascertain that this sort of behaviour does not occur again.
BBC Sport delves into the finer details of the allegations (the full report can be read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35146178) and outlines the severity of the pair’s negotiations not merely with one another, but their parts in the Qatar bid for 2022. The latter is something that has spawned huge controversy, and has always appeared somewhat underhanded in that the premise of playing such lengthy matches in such dire temperatures would be absurd, yet also potentially dangerous for the health of the players, not least their coaches, back of house and supporters in the crowd.
A payment to the tune of £1.3m is what is largely in question. As BBC Sport states, this was something of a bizarre “gentleman’s agreement” between the pair, as they had been co-workers for many years, and this sum was allegedly for some of Platini’s extra contributions decades ago. Therefore, even just the timing is odd. This is what has created so many raised eyebrows, especially whilst rumours of bribery in favour of Qatar have already been circulating.
The removal of Blatter from office will be on the agenda for FIFA, as they really must sever ties with the man who has dragged football’s name through the mud. Whether or not fans and supporters of the beautiful game believed that Blatter and Platini have been so ruthlessly rotten to the core, they have certainly been served justice for their false, misguided and selfish actions. Although the men might have been keen to tiptoe out of football rather quietly, their hopes have not been granted, and this news will certainly be rotating throughout the media for many more days to come.
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