FIFA provisionally suspends Blatter, Platini, and Valcke for 90 days
FIFA has confirmed a provisional 90-day suspension for president Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jerome Valcke, and vice-president Michel Platini amid corruption allegations.
Related: Sepp Blatter's lawyer refutes reports of provisional 90-day suspension
The duration of the ban could be extended, but can not exceed 45 days, and excludes them for all football activities on a national and international level.
FIFA.com states:
The grounds for these decisions are the investigations that are being carried out by the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee. The chairman of the chamber is Dr. Cornel Borbely. The investigation into Joseph S. Blatter is being carried out by Robert Torres, the investigation into Michel Platini by Vanessa Allard.
Platini - also president of European football's governing body, UEFA - is being investigated for a "disloyal payment" of €2 million from Blatter, claims for which he completely refuted in a statement:
This deliberate leak - which is insidious in nature and has come about in an unacceptable manner - is essentially an attempt to damage my reputation.
Over the last few weeks, I have stressed my willingness to cooperate fully with the authorities carrying out the various enquiries in compliance with the strictest procedural rules. FIFA, on the other hand, has clearly flouted those rules.
Blatter also denies any wrongdoing. He released a statement of his own, detailing his intention to fight the charges of the payment to Platini and signing a contract "unfavourable" to FIFA.
In other words, this is a long way from done: Blatter (and Platini) figure to file appeals and will go before FIFA appeals committee.
— Sam Borden (@SamBorden) October 8, 2015
Valcke has been on gardening leave from FIFA since September after allegations suggested he hatched a scheme to profit from World Cup ticket sales.
FIFA has confirmed Issa Hayatou has assumed Blatter's role on an interim basis following the 79-year-old's suspension, with Angel Maria Villar Llona on the verge of heading up UEFA.
There are question marks over the suitability of the pair, however, with Hayatou previously disciplined by the International Olympic Committee for his part in an alleged bribery scandal, and with Villar's lack of assistance during the recent FIFA scandal.
UEFA Vice-President, Angel Maria Villar Llona of Spain (in line to replace Platini) did not cooperate with FIFA's WC bidding investigation
— Dan Roan (@danroan) October 8, 2015
Elsewhere in the FIFA corruption scandal, former vice-president Chung Mong-joon has received a six-year ban and fined 100,000 Swiss Francs (91,500 Euro) for infringing various rules including FIFA's general rules of conduct and confidentiality during the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.