FIFA bans Chung for 6 years
By Nam Hyun-woo
Chung Mong-joon
The FIFA Ethics Committee suspended Chung Mong-joon, the Korean candidate for the top football job, for six years Thursday, while imposing relatively soft punishments on incumbent FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini.
FIFA said in an announcement on its website that the former FIFA vice-president “has been banned from all football activities on a national and international level” for six years and had been fined 100,000 Swiss Francs ($103,000).
Chung had been investigated for letters he wrote in 2010 to FIFA executive members explaining a $777 million Global Football Fund while Korea was bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. With the ban, Chung, who is seeking to replace Blatter in a Feb. 26 election, will be automatically ruled out of the presidential race.
Chung said in a statement: “Amid FIFA’s meltdown, the decision by the Ethics Committee, which acts as Blatter’s hit man, is beyond deplorable.”
He claimed the decision was “politically motivated” and stressed that he will “resort to every available legal remedy to show the decision was unjust.” Though he did not elaborate on his action, he is expected to appeal too the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
While Chung’s bid has been virtually ended, Blatter and Platini were suspended for a relatively short 90 days, though the decision signals the end of the reign of FIFA President Blatter and deals a major blow to UEFA leader Platini's hopes of taking over.
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, who has already been ordered to leave the world body over a separate ticketing scandal, was also suspended for 90 days.
The four football powerbrokers “are banned from all football activities on a national and international level. The bans come into force immediately,” FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA did not immediately say who would take over running the multi-billion dollar organization.
Blatter and French football legend Platini have faced mounting pressure since Swiss prosecutors started an investigation into the veteran FIFA president over criminal malfeasance.
Platini, who has run UEFA, has been named in the investigation because of a two million dollar payment he received in 2011.
The Frenchman earlier demanded an inquiry into the circumstances of the investigation against him.