Platini appeals ban at world sports tribunal --AFP

UEFA president Michel Platini on Wednesday made a formal appeal against his six year ban from football at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the tribunal said.

The French football legend and former FIFA leader Sepp Blatter were banned for six years each over a two million dollar payment made by FIFA to Platini.

The ban against the two football powerbrokers was reduced from eight years by FIFA appeal committee on February 24. But Platini, 60, has said he wants to fight the ban further.

“In appealing to the CAS, Michel Platini seeks to annul the decisions taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA ethics committee and by the FIFA appeal committee which lead to him being declared ineligible to take part in football-related activity at national and international level for six years,” said a CAS statement.

“A CAS arbitration procedure is in progress.

“First, the parties will exchange written submissions and a panel of three arbitrators will be constituted.”

The panel will consider a verdict after a hearing in Lausanne.

Platini and Blatter were found guilty of conflicts of interest when Blatter approved a two million Swiss franc ($2 million/1.8 million euro) payment to Platini in 2011 for consultancy work done without a contract a decade earlier.

Platini had been favourite to take over from Blatter but the ban demolished his hopes.

Platini’s deputy at UEFA, Gianni Infantino, won the election for the FIFA presidency on Friday. Platini hopes to keep his post at UEFA if he can win his appeal.