Platini expected to step down

Michel Platini is set to resign as president of European football governing body UEFA after an unsuccessful appeal to have his six-year ban from FIFA overturned.

The Frenchman claimed that £1.3m “disloyal payment” that he received from former FIFA president Sepp Blatter was a consultancy fee, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) “was not convinced by the legitimacy of the payment”, despite reducing his ban from six to four years, half of the original eight-year ban.

“I am resigning from my duties as Uefa president to pursue my battle in front of the Swiss courts to prove my innocence in this case,” Platini said in a statement.

While Platini called the ruling “a profound injustice”, the court admitted that a six-year ban was “too severe”, while UEFA confirmed that “there will be no UEFA president appointed ad interim”.

“The CAS panel was of the opinion that a severe sanction could be justified in view of the superior functions carried out by Mr Platini (FIFA vice-president and UEFA president), the absence of any repentance and the impact that this matter has had on FIFA’s reputation,” said the court.