ZURICH: FIFA’s ethics committee has responded to appeals by Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini with appeals of its own writes KEIR RADNDGE.

The banned presidents of the world federation and European governing body UEFA are contesting their eight-year bans for misconduct in office with the FIFA appeal committee – first essential step down the road towards the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Now the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee has appealed for heavier sentences.

It is also likely to be rejected.

The pair were found guilty last month of ethics breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) “disloyal payment” made to Platini in 2011. Both Blatter, 79, and Platini, 60, deny wrongdoing.

Blatter had wanted to preside over the election of his successor February 26 and Platini wants to protect his UEFA status.

Ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, in his verdict, had rejected an investigatory claim that both men had been guilty of corruption which would certainly have incurred a lifetime ban.

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