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'I'll be back' - Blatter is banned for eight years

December 22, 2015

Dec 22: The bans have been imposed by Fifa's ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert for a "disloyal payment" of €1.8 million in Swiss Francs made to Uefa president Platini in 2011, signed off by outgoing Fifa president Blatter.

Blatter

He and Platini both claimed the payment was made following a verbal agreement between the pair when the Frenchman worked for Blatter from 1998 to 2002 though not paid until nine years later.

But the explanation was rejected as "not convincing" by the ethics committee, though it did add the evidence had not been sufficient to secure charges of corruption.

A statement from the ethics committee said: "Mr Blatter's actions did not show commitment to an ethical attitude, failing to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as Fifa's regulatory framework to the extent applicable to him and demonstrating an abusive execution of his position as president of Fifa, hence violating article 13 of the FCE (general rules of conduct)."

It added: "Mr Platini failed to act with complete credibility and integrity, showing unawareness of the importance of his duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities."

Blatter, wearing a plaster on his face following the removal of a mole, vowed to fight the sanctions and claimed: "I'll be back."

Blatter (79) used Fifa's former headquarters in Zurich for his news conference - he hired it as a private citizen, but it still houses Fifa's marketing department - and said he would appeal to Fifa's appeals committee, then the Court of Arbitration for Sport and then the Swiss federal court against the sanction.

He told a packed conference: "I will fight for me and I will fight for Fifa.

"Suspended for eight years for what? I am sorry that I am a punching ball. I am sorry that as president of Fifa I am this punching ball. I am sorry for football.

"I am sorry for the 400-plus Fifa team members. I'm sorry about that. I am also sorry about me and about how I am treated in this world of humanitarian qualities.

"Human beings needs to be respected. It has created a lot of collateral damage in the families. My family was mocked. I regret I am this punching bag.

"I will fight. I will fight until the end," he said.

Platini said: "This decision does not surprise me... It was orchestrated to tarnish myself by governing bodies that I know well and that I refuse to accord any legitimacy or credibility today. ... My behaviour has always been faultless and I'm at peace with my own conscience."

Last night in a statement, Uefa said it was "extremely disappointed" in the decision to ban Platini.

"Naturally, Uefa is extremely disappointed with this decision, which nevertheless is subject to appeal.

"Once again, Uefa supports Michel Platini's right to a due process and the opportunity to clear his name," it said.

Commenting on the bans David Bernstein, the former Football Association chairman, said that the news marked the end for Blatter.

"He knows all the tricks doesn't he? He's a real performer and a real fighter but at the end of the day he's either one of the world's greatest cynics or he's in some sort of denial. Perhaps a bit of both.

"He's a drowning man really, there's no coming back from this," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He'll fight, I'm sure of that. He's not a soft touch. He will fight but he is doomed. He is yesterday's man."

Former France coach Raymond Domenech said: "FIFA had admitted there was no corruption. There are only suppositions of collusion.

"But this is how FIFA works. Mr Blatter was the only master on board, giving whatever he wanted to everyone he wanted. There was nothing abnormal with that. Michel's problem is the timing: It happens at the wrong time."

Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish league, was less forgiving.

"Eight years are not enough for me... "The penalty should be that they can never again form part of a sports institution," he said.

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News Network
March 12,2020

Miami, Mar 12: The NBA has suspended its season "until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.

Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.

"The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight's schedule of games until further notice,'' the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. "The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.''

The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called off. Players were on the floor for warmups and tip-off was moments away when they were told to return to their locker rooms. About 30 minutes later, fans were told the game was postponed ``due to unforeseen circumstances."

Shutdown for two weeks?

Those circumstances were the league's worst-case scenario for now -- a player testing positive. A second person who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity said the league expects the shutdown to last a minimum of two weeks, but cautioned that time-frame is very fluid.

"It's a very serious time right now," Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I think the league moved appropriately and prudently and we'll all just have to monitor the situation and see where it goes from here."

The Jazz released a statement saying a player -- they did not identify Gobert -- tested negative earlier Wednesday for flu, strep throat and an upper respiratory infection. That player's symptoms diminished as the day went along, but the decision was made to test for COVID-19 anyway. That test came back with a preliminary positive result.

"The individual is currently in the care of health officials in Oklahoma City," the Jazz said, adding that updates would come as appropriate.

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News Network
May 11,2020

Mumbai, May 11: The French Open, which was postponed to September from May due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, could be held without fans, the organisers of the claycourt Grand Slam have said.

Roland Garros had been scheduled for May 24 to June 7 before the French tennis federation (FFT) pushed it back to Sept. 20-Oct 4 in a bid to save the tournament from falling victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week the FFT said all tickets purchased for this year's French Open would be cancelled and reimbursed instead of being transferred.

"Organising it without fans would allow a part of the economy to keep turning, (like) television rights and partnerships. It's not to be overlooked," FFT President Bernard Giudicelli told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

"We're not ruling any option out."

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the pandemic and the hiatus will continue at least until mid-July with many countries in lockdown.

Wimbledon has been cancelled while the status of the U.S. Open, scheduled to take place in late August, is still unclear.

COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths

The FFT was widely criticised when they announced in mid-March that the French Open would be switched, with players bemoaning a lack of communication as the new dates clashed with the hardcourt season.

Organisers said last week they had been in talks with the sport's governing bodies to fine tune the calendar amid media reports that the Grand Slam tournament would be delayed further by a week and start on Sept. 27.

The delayed start would give players a two-week window between the end of the U.S. Open, played on the hardcourts of New York, and the Paris tournament.

"The 20th or the 27th, that does not change much," Giudicelli said.

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Agencies
August 7,2020

Islamabad, Aug 7: Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, known for his blistering deliveries on the cricket field, recently baffled many with a deadly off-field bouncer by claiming he is willing to eat grass if it enabled an increase in budget for his country's Army!

"If Allah ever gives me the authority, I will eat grass myself but I will increase the budget of the army," said Akhtar in an interview with ARY News.

The 'Rawalpindi Express', considered the fastest bowler in history said he does not understand why the civilian sector cannot work in collaboration with the Armed forces.

"I will ask my army chief to sit with me and make decisions. If the budget is 20 per cent, I will make it 60 per cent. If we insult each other, the loss is ours only," the once feared fast-bowler said.

Akthar had also claimed to ARY News interview that he was willing to take a bullet for his country and had turned down a county stint just because he wanted to fight the 1999 Kargil War.

Ties between India and Pakistan have been strained in the recent months over several issues, the latest being Pakistan's attempt to broach in the UNSC the issue of Kashmir on the first anniversary of the India's move to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and to split the erstwhile state into two union territories .

Pakistan also has not been in a good financial position and under prime minister Imran Khan, himself an all rounder cricketer, has added nearly USD 22 billion, that is 35 per cent to the nation's international debt pile in the last two years, according to an Asia Times report in July.

While Pakistan recently received USD 1.39 billion from the IMF to cushion the economic shocks caused due to COVID-19 outbreak, Akthar had a few months ago proposed that a joint cricket match be played between India and Pakistan to raise funds to fight the coronavirus. The suggestion that was put down by cricketers in India.

Meanwhile the 'Pindi boy' whose deadly pace and bounce was once dreaded by batsmen had recently taken to Twitter to deny former India cricketer Virender Sehwag's claim of sledging him.

Sehwag along with other Indian crickerters such as Harbhajan Singh and even Rahul Dravid had been at the receiving end of Akthar's sledging and antics during their playing days.

"Yes, totally self made story by him. Mujhe yeh bol k bach k jana kidhar tha us nay," Akthar tweeted to a report in which Sehwag claimed that he had sledged the 'Rawalpindi Express' by telling him that Sachin Tendulkar was his father.

During an awards ceremony Sehwag had recounted that fed up with Akthar's sledging and retaliated by telling him to say the same things to Tendulkar, who smashed the 'Pindi boy' for a six. Sehwag quipped that he told Akthar then that "Baap baap hota hai".

In the recent ARY interview, asked about the allegation made against him by former India cricketer Virendra Sehwag that he makes pro-India comments for greater following on social media channels, Akhtar said, "I cannot talk on the basis of hate." 

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