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Former FIFA president Blatter hit with additional six-year ban for 'various violations' of code of ethics
The former head of world football's governing body was already serving a suspension which ends this year, but will now be out of the game until 2028
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been given a new ban of six years and eight months by the world football governing body, which will keep him out of the game until 2028.
Blatter, 85, has been given the additional ban for "various violations" of the FIFA code of ethics, as well as a fine of CHF 1 million (£780,000).
Former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke - who is also currently banned from the game - has received the same punishment after also being found guilty of a string of charges.
What has been said?
A FIFA statement said: "The investigations into Blatter and Valcke covered various charges, in particular concerning bonus payments in relation to FIFA competitions that were paid to top management officials, various amendments and extensions of employment contracts, as well as reimbursement by FIFA of private legal costs in the case of Mr Valcke."
The bans will only come into effect once the current suspensions Blatter and Valcke are serving for various corruption charges have expired. Blatter is currently banned from football until October 2021, while 60-year-old Valcke is banned until October 2025.
This means Blatter cannot hold an official position within football until 2028, when he will be well into his 90s.
What has Blatter been found guilty of?
FIFA's adjudicatory chamber ruled that Blatter accepted "an undue economic benefit" of CHF 23m (£18m) "split over the years 2010 to 2014, as a result of the conflict of interest created by the allocation and execution of extraordinary bonus payments between limited top-ranking FIFA officials."
It was also ruled that Blatter and Valcke, with former Argentina football federation president Julio Grondona and ex-finance director Markus Kattner, had "set up a scheme through which they were allowing themselves to obtain extraordinary benefits with a minimum of effort," according to FIFA ethics investigators.
"This vicious circle saw three of them (Blatter, Grondona and Valcke) signing the amendment contracts of the others and approving the respective extraordinary bonuses, while the fourth (Kattner) was in charge of implementing the payment of such bonuses as well as of keeping the matter 'off the books'," FIFA's statement says.
Blatter is currently serving a six-year sentence - reduced from eight - for making a £1.3m "disloyal payment" to ex-UEFA boss Michel Platini, as part of a raft of corruption convictions against former FIFA officials.
