Platini lawyer claims FIFA Ethics Committee seeking life ban for UEFA president

Michel Platini’s lawyer has reportedly claimed FIFA’s Ethics Committee is seeking to ban the UEFA president for life.

Formal proceedings were opened against Platini and FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday following a report by the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee.

The pair were given 90-day suspensions by the Ethics Committee in October in relation to an alleged disloyal payment made by FIFA to Platini in 2011.

Both men, who deny any wrongdoing, then saw their subsequent appeals rejected by the Ethics Committee, which submitted its final reports on Saturday.

And Platini’s lawyer Thibaud d’Ales has told AFP the Ethics Committee is seeking a lifetime ban for the Frenchman.

The demand is said to have been described by D’Ales as a “scandal” and “excessive”.

A spokesperson for the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee declined to comment on the reports when contacted by Omnisport.

A decision on the case is expected next month, with Platini’s bid to succeed Blatter as FIFA president on hold until his fate is determined.

Earlier this year, Blatter confirmed that he would step down as president ahead of elections at FIFA’s Extraordinary Congress next February.