Sepp Blatter Reportedly Recommended for Suspension by FIFA Ethics Committee

FIFA President Sepp Blatter reportedly faces a suspension of 90 days by the organisation's ethics committee, the latest in a long line of blows for the longtime boss of world football's most powerful organisation.

According to Paul Kelso of Sky News, Klaus Stoehlker, a “close friend” of Blatter, confirmed the news of the pending suspension, which still has to be confirmed by a judge.

Per the BBC, Blatter's suspension will be provisional. As shared by Rob Harris of the Associated Press, Blatter's aide Walter Gagg claimed the FIFA president had yet to receive word from the ethics committee at the time of writing:

Blatter's lawyers doubled-down on that stance, as noted by Dan Roan of BBC Sport:

BBC 5 Live's Richard Conway described the current situation as “confusing,” and it's hard to disagree.

Blatter finds himself at the heart of an ongoing criminal investigation into FIFA amid allegations of fraud and bribery. As reported by the BBC, the 79-year-old is being investigated for making a “disloyal payment” to UEFA boss Michel Platini, although Blatter's lawyer, Richard Cullen, is convinced his client will be cleared of any wrongdoing:

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We are confident that when the Swiss authorities have a chance to review the documents and the evidence, they will see that the contract was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate staff members of Fifa who were routinely responsible for such contracts, and certainly no mismanagement occurred.

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The investigation into Blatter comes amid the probe of FIFA that has been going on for months, starting with a number of arrests of key officials in late May. Time's Ian Bremmer wrote a lengthy report on the allegations FIFA currently faces, paying special attention to the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively.

Blatter initially escaped the wrath of investigators, but in the past few weeks, he has become the centre of attention. Since then, a number of key sponsors have called for Blatter to step down as president, per Copa90.

The Swiss national has been in charge of FIFA since 1998 and played a crucial role in the organisation becoming the global powerhouse it is today.

He has announced his intention to resign at some point in the near future, according to BBC Sport.

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