Platini And Blatter Have Appeal Bounced Back By FIFA

Platini And Blatter
• Suspensions upheld
• Hearings in December
• Election in February

You don't need to have bet on sports in the UK recently to know that footballs governing body has been rife with corruption scandals that have penetrated to the very highest echelons of FIFA and now in the run up to the elections in February for a new president are Platini and Blatter being hung out to dry to save the rest from having to get out of the shower of money?

No one ever really wants to face an integrity check. Like an unscheduled prostate exam, enforced strip search at the airport or an afternoon with your spouse's relatives, they're never much fun and just something one just has to suffer through with gritted teeth. This is especially true if one has just been told that the ban from international football you were handed back in October is going to remain in force by FIFA's appeals body, because at that point, what integrity do you have left?

Michel Platini, head of UEFA (the body that overseas European football) is probably in the unenviable position to tell us as he and outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter are told that the suspensions they were handed for their involvement in a “disloyal payment” will stand despite the protests of innocence from Platini and Blatter. This means whilst he remains a candidate to replace Blatter, no integrity check can be done until his ban his 90 days is served out or case resolved.

Having your integrity check postponed due to a global-wide ban on your participation in the sport you're attempting to gain presidency over isn't the best of starts to an election campaign, is it? But then, as has been made clear by the numerous arrests, multiple inquiries and ongoing revelations, FIFA elections (of any variety apparently) under Platini and Blatter haven't really been about integrity for a long time now, and it might just be a little optimistic of us to think they're about to start changing.

Platini And Blatter Suspensions Upheld

The huge sums of money (Platini was paid two million Euro under the table for his “consultancy” work for Blatter) floating about at the higher echelons of football breed corruption, and under Blatter it became not the exception but the rule, with each greedy little bureaucratic body saying whatever it needed to that it might reside upon the gravy train with the piggy-featured Blatter and his cabal of corrupt cronies. It is they that will now attempt to portray Platini and Blatter as bad apples.

New leadership, FIFA will undoubtedly insist, will put things right, gambling news coverage will repeat that line, but whilst there might be some high profile names who get sent off for their past deeds, like Platini and Blatter, the framework will remain, the oversight will stay non-existent and the quantities of cash will continue to grow around football. Are their replacements really likely to be less tempted? There aren't a few bad apples in FIFA, there's a decomposed corpse of a green grocer.

The adjudication panel of FIFA's ethics committee will meet prior to the season's holidays to have hearings on the charges that face Platini and Blatter, which probably explains why the latter has begun to play the old-and-in-feeble-health card with his “breakdown” recently, and FIFA will be holding their diversionary tactic.....sorry, I mean election......will go ahead on the 26th of February next year, the question is will Platini be amongst those under consideration, or just nailed to a cross outside?

Who Will Be FIFA's Pope Francis?

With Platini and Blatter the scape goats for the crimes of the past, who can be the fresh face to deflect attention from the crimes of the present or future? Given Pope Francis already has a job (did you see what I did there?) so FIFA will need to look elsewhere and one has to wonder if anyone involved in the organization in the last few decades can really be deemed clean enough to be that new-look they so desperately need. Can anyone stand up to an integrity check from the press that goes on forever?

Those of you interested might like to take advantage of UK gambling laws and wager upon who will take over the reins from Platini and Blatter, if so, do check out the internet bookies of Bet365 ilk, each of whom deem it likely that Prince Ali Al-Hussein will win, garnering odds so short I won't mention them, with Salman Al Khalifa getting around 11/4, Gianni Infantino 5/1 and dear old Michel getting just 8/1 at best, and those odds are moving out of town, believe you me.

Doesn't it just say a little bit too much about FIFA that the only person they believe might not be tempted by all the money and corruption is a Jordanian prince who was born with not just a silver spoon but an entire silver tea service shoved in his mouth? Perhaps they feel his rank of Brigadier in the Jordanian armed forces will assist, even at the height of their power Platini and Blatter couldn't call in air strikes, but whomever is elected in February don't start betting they'll be any better than Blatter.