The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, chaired by German judge Hans Joachim Eckert, banned Joseph Blatter and Michel Platini from “all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and international level” for a period of eight years.

The ruling was handed down by the committee as it was not convinced by FIFA President Blatter’s assertion that he had had an oral agreement with Platini on a payment made for services rendered to football’s world governing body.

“Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Mr Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this payment. His assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber,” the statement said.