Blatter Wants to Sue Infantino, FIFA

(ATR) Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter is still not ready to move on from his ugly exit as the head of world football’s governing body.

Blatter left his post in disgrace almost four years ago, embroiled in a long-running corruption scandal. He was later banned for eight years by FIFA, though the penalty was later reduced to six years.

Now the man who ran world football’s governing body for 17 years tells AFP that he wants to sue his successor Gianni Infantino,

In an interview, Blatter gave AFP a litany of charges against Infantino and FIFA including that they failed to return personal items he left in his old office.

He also wants FIFA to admit they "hurt" him "by saying that this guy (Blatter) was using (FIFA) like a piggy bank". He added "This is a question of honor."

Blatter still is under investigation in Switzerland for a $12 million payment he made to himself out of FIFA’s accounts following the 2014 World Cup. He denies the allegations.

He told AFP his lawsuit against Infantino and FIFA would be filed this week.

Infantino, running unopposed, will be re-elected for a second term at the FIFA Congress next week in Paris.

Another Oceania Official Banned

Former FIFA committee member and Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) secretary general Tai Nicholas is the latest football figure to be banned for bribery and corruption.

FIFA on Thursday said its ethics committee found Nicholas guilty of misappropriating FIFA funds between 2014 and 2017 in relation to the construction of OFC’s Home of Football complex in Auckland, New Zealand.

He was also found to have offered and accepted gifts and other benefits in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

Nicholas was handed an eight-year ban from all football-related activities and fined $50,000.

FIFA banned the former OFC President David Chung for six-and-a-half years in March for bribery offenses as well as conflict of interest. Chung was also fined $100,000.

Chung resigned as OFC president in April 2018, about three months after Nicholas quit his position.

Earlier this week, the FIFA Appeal Committee confirmed the lifetime ban of Marco Polo Del Nero, the former president of the Brazilian Football Association (CBF).

Del Nero, who is also ordered to pay a fine of $1 million, was found guilty of taking bribes in exchange for his role in awarding contracts to companies for the media and marketing rights to various domestic and international football tournaments in South America.

Homepage photo: Wikimedia Commons

Written by Gerard Farek

For general comments or questions,click here.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.