Suspended UEFA president Michel Platini will not be present for Saturday's Euro 2016 draw after he had the 90-day ban imposed on him by FIFA upheld on Friday following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Platini took a case to CAS after being banned for 90 days by the ethics committee of world football's governing body in October. Platini and outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter were both provisionally suspendedover a two million Swiss franc (£1.35m) payment made to the UEFA chief in 2011 for work said to have been carried out more than nine years previously.
The timing of the payment raised suspicions in that it was made only a few months before Blatter was standing again for the FIFA presidency.
Blatter was accused of making a "disloyal payment" to Platini, but both denied any wrongdoing. They had acknowledged that there was no written contract for the extra salary, but said there was a verbal agreement made when Platini started working as FIFA's technical advisor in 1998.
The court in Lausanne delivered its verdict on Friday morning, judging that the provisional ban from all footballing activity should remain in place. CAS also ruled that FIFA is not able to extend the 90-day ban placed on Platini.
The decision means Platini will be unable to attend the draw for the Euro 2016 group stage in Paris on Saturday as he had hoped and it could also damage his bid to stand as a candidate in the Feb. 26 FIFA presidential election.
His suspension runs until Jan. 5 and FIFA said it would not consider his eligibility until it has expired. Platini was an early favourite to replace Blatter as the head of FIFA until Swiss authorities began investigating both men over the payment.
Blatter and Platini both had their appeals against the 90-day bans for alleged financial wrongdoing rejected by FIFA's appeals committee last month.
After the decision, Platini said he would take his case to CAS. Blatter could also choose to take his case to CAS.
Next week's FIFA Ethics Committee hearing could impose lifetime bans on both Platini and Blatter if corruption is proved, and shorter bans for lesser offences.
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
Source: ESPN.com
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