Fifa has
provisionally suspended its president Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jerome
Valcke and vice-president Michel Platini for 90 days.
The
punishments were handed out by the ethics committee of football's world
governing body, which is investigating the three over corruption allegations.
It also
banned ex-Fifa vice-president Chung Mong-joon for six years.
Issa Hayatou,
who heads Africa's football confederation (Caf), will act as Fifa president
during Blatter's ban.
Spain's Angel
Maria Villar is expected to head Uefa - European football's governing body -
while Platini is suspended.
But Platini -
and Chung - are still hoping to replace Blatter when he steps down as president
in February.
Hayatou,
meanwhile, has issued a statement saying he will only serve on an interim basis
and will not be standing for election.
Explaining
its decision to ban Blatter, Platini and Valcke, the ethics committee said:
"The grounds for these decisions are the investigations that are being
carried out by the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee."
The three are
banned from any football activity in the interim. They deny any wrongdoing.
Britain's
Fifa vice-president David Gill has called for an emergency meeting of its
executive committee following Thursday's developments.
A statement
issued by Blatter's lawyers said the president was "disappointed" the
ethics committee had not followed its own code in allowing him an opportunity
to be heard, and claimed the suspension was based on "a misunderstanding
of the actions of the attorney general in Switzerland".
It added:
"President Blatter looks forward to the opportunity to present evidence
that will demonstrate that he did not engage in any misconduct, criminal or
otherwise."
Fifa's ethics
committee began its investigation into Blatter after the Swiss attorney general
opened criminal proceedings against the 79-year-old.
He is accused
of signing a contract "unfavourable" to Fifa and making a
"disloyal payment" to Platini, who is also president of European
football's governing body - Uefa.
The ethics
committee also opened an inquiry into Platini over the 2m euros (£1.35m)
payment, which was made nine years after the 60-year-old carried out
consultation work for Blatter.
Valcke was
already on gardening leave from his Fifa post following newspaper allegations
last month which implicated the 54-year-old in a scheme to profit from the sale
of World Cup tickets.
Earlier this
year, United States authorities indicted 14 Fifa officials and associates on
bribery and racketeering charges. A simultaneous Swiss investigation was
started into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Just two days
later, on 29 May, Blatter won a fifth consecutive Fifa presidential election.
However, on 2 June he announced his decision to step down in the wake of the
corruption allegations.
He is due to
finish his term at a Fifa extraordinary congress on 26 February.
Platini and
South Korean billionaire Chung - who was also fined 100,000 Swiss Francs
(£67,000) by the ethics committee - are two of the leading candidates to
replace him.
Before the
imposition of his provisional ban - which relates to the bidding process for
the 2018 and 2022 World Cups - Chung claimed Fifa's investigation into him was
an attempt to "smear" his campaign.
Reports that
the provisional bans for Blatter and Platini were to be handed down emerged
late on Wednesday.
On Thursday,
former France international footballer Platini issued a statement questioning
how the information had been made public.
"This is
clearly an extremely serious matter," he said. "This information
appears to have come from an official Fifa source.
"
This
deliberate leak - which is insidious in nature and has come about in an
unacceptable manner - is essentially an attempt to damage my reputation."
Platini added
he was co-operating with the various authorities - and intended to continue
standing for the Fifa presidency.
"I have
always acted and expressed myself with honesty, courage and candour, as I feel
that this is my moral duty," he added.
"I am
certain that we will overcome this difficulty with full transparency and the
unity that gives football its strength."
However, his
ban - which can be appealed against, or even extended - means he will not be
able to attend the Euro 2016 draw in Paris on 12 December.
The Football
Association, which last week reiterated its support for Platini's presidency
bid, has stopped short of changing its position. A spokesman said: "We now
await the results of both the ethics committee inquiry and the investigation of
the Swiss attorney general. We note that Mr Platini has issued a strong
statement protesting his innocence."
Valcke's
lawyer also said that his client was "confident" that he will be
fully cleared of the "false allegations" when "all the facts
come out".
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