SEPP BLATTER vowed to be back yesterday, as he was handed an eight-year ban from all football-related activity for his part in the £1.3 million payment to Michel Platini.

 

Platini was also given the same sentence from Fifa’s ethics committee and called the decision a “true mockery.”

 

The outgoing Fifa president said he was not ashamed of what he did and put the mistake down to an administrative error.

 

Blatter admitted: “They (the Fifa ethics committee) said: ‘You should have put it somewhere in your books.’ I agreed to that. 

 

“But this is administrative and financial proceedings and this has nothing to do with ethics. This was an error but this is nothing to do with the ethics regulations.

 

“I am not ashamed. I am sorry that I am a punching ball. I am sorry for football. I am now suspended eight years, suspended eight years. Suspended eight years for what?”

 

Blatter, who will be 86 when the suspensionends after 40 years at football’s world governing body, claimed he was “sad” how things panned out.

 

“I’m sad. It can’t go on this way. It’s not possible. After 40 years, it can’t happen this way. I’m fighting to restore my rights.”

 

Platini, who wants to clear his name, pass a Fifa integrity check and be declared an official candidate in the election he had been tipped to win, claims that his fated was decided before yesterday’s announcement.

 

“I’m convinced that my fate was sealed before the December 18 hearing and that this decision is just a pathetic manoeuvre to hide a true will of taking me out of the football world,” the Frenchman said.

 

“My behaviour has always been faultless and I’m at peace with my own conscience.”

 

The behaviour in question goes back to 2011, when he took Fifa money approved by Blatter as uncontracted salary for work as a presidential adviser from 1999-2002.

 

Fifa reform campaigner Damian Collins welcomed the bans but called for continued investigation.

 

Collins, a member of the House of Commons select committee for culture, media and sport, said the bans must be followed by further reform.

 

“We will see in the next few months whether this is the end of Fifa too. They have to implement wide-ranging reforms of the organisation, led by an independent outside body,” the MP said.

 

“The fish rots from the head down and we know how rotten the head of Fifa was and we now have to find out just how much of the organisation has been infected.”

 

Those comments were backed up by Labour’s shadow minister for sport Clive Efford, who said: “It is clear that there is no prospect of Fifa being reformed by anyone associated with the old regime.

 

“Fifa needs new leadership and should place itself in administration under a body led by someone with no history of involvement in its corrupt past to clean up its reputation.

 

“This is the only chance left of restoring credibility to the governance of world football.”

 

Blatter finished off his press conference saying: “They tried to kill me now. It was [a] near thing. But I was safe till the last minute. I’ll be back.”