Blatter faces fresh corruption charges

Former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter is facing another corruption investigation after the ethics committee of world football’s governing body announced it was opening proceedings against him and key lieutenants, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner.

The committee’s investigatory chamber will investigate possible violations of FIFA’s rulebook that relate to bribery, conflicts of interest and general conduct, while Kattner faces a further charge related to a breach of confidentiality.

The case is understood to be based on the huge salaries and bonuses the three men allegedly paid themselves at FIFA, and the alleged leaking of information about new FIFA president, Gianni Infantino to the media.

The 80-year-old Blatter, who ran FIFA from 1998 to 2015, is currently waiting for the result of his appeal against an existing ban from football for a payment he made to former protege and UEFA president, Michel Platini.

That appeal was heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month and if Platini’s earlier case is a guide, football’s most infamous administrator can expect a reduction in his ban from six years to four.