GENEVA, April 26. /TASS/. The FIFA Ethics Committee rejected earlier Italian media reports that suspended President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Michel Platini had been cleared of all corruption charges, committee’s spokesman Marc Tenbuecken told TASS on Tuesday.
"The report of ANSA is absolutely wrong," Tenbuecken said. "The judgement of the Adjudicatory Chamber in the case of Mr. Platini is unchanged."
Italian news agency ANSA reported earlier in the day that the FIFA Ethics Committee allegedly ruled to lift all corruption charges against Platini.
In early October, Platini and then-President of FIFA Sepp Blatter were both suspended for the period of 90 days from their posts as part of the investigation into corruption allegations against them. Among a number of corruption allegations, Blatter is suspected of a disloyal payment of 2 million Swiss francs to UEFA President Platini in February 2011.
The adjudicatory chamber of the independent FIFA Ethics Committee held hearings into corruption charges on December 17 and 18, in regard to Blatter and Platini respectively, and on December 21 they were both suspended for the period of eight years from all football-related activities.
The Ethics Committee also subjected both of the football executives to financial fines, obliging Blatter to pay 50,000 Swiss francs (over $50,300) and Platini - 80,000 Swiss francs (over $80,500).
On March 2, FIFA Appeal Committee ruled to reduce the suspension sentences for Platini and Blatter from eight to six years.
Following the FIFA Appeal Committee’s ruling both Platini and Blatter submitted appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne.
CAS has scheduled the hearing into Platini’s appeal for April 29 and Blatter is rumored by media reports to be present at the hearing as a witness.