Blatter and Platini To Continue To Receive Salaries Despite Ban
Michel Platini will be paid his salary by UEFA “until further notice” despite having been banned from football-related activity for eight years, the European governing body has revealed.
The confirmation comes after it was revealed that outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has also been banned, will receive his FIFA salary until the election of his successor on February 26.
Related Article: 8 Year Bans for Sepp Blatter & Michel Platini
UEFA said it would not disclose suspended president Platini’s salary, nor that of general secretary Gianni Infantino. Infantino is running for the FIFA presidency with a manifesto that includes annual disclosure of the pay of the FIFA president, secretary-general and FIFA members. A UEFA spokesman said it will look to adopt the same measures on transparency in the future.
A UEFA statement said: “Mr. Platini is receiving a salary from UEFA, and will continue to do so until further notice. Individual salaries are of a confidential nature and therefore are not disclosed.”
Platini and Blatter were banned for eight years last month by FIFA’s ethics committee over a £1.3million payment made to the Frenchman in 2011 – he and Blatter said it was to settle an oral agreement made nearly 13 years previously when he worked as FIFA’s technical advisor.
They have appealed against the bans to FIFA’s appeals committee and if that is unsuccessful both are expected to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Platini’s salary is likely to be paid until the full appeals process is completed.
UEFA said it would only disclose the overall entitlements paid to the 16 UEFA executive committee members – 3.5million euros (£2.68m) in 2013/14, which works out at 217,000 euros (£167,000) per head. Members also receive a daily allowance of 300 euros (£231) when on UEFA duty.
In terms of future publication of UEFA executives’ salaries, UEFA chief of communications Pedro Pinto said: “We will of course discuss all these matters as well as all other FIFA reforms in the UEFA ExCo and with our associations in a future Congress with a view of adopting these proposals for us as well.”
“But we can of course not make these figures public without following a proper and due process. This is also part of compliance and good governance.”
Infantino’s manifesto states: “As a further means of transparency and accountability, the remuneration and benefits of the FIFA president, FIFA council members, committee members and the secretary general/CEO of the FIFA administration shall be disclosed publicly and on an annual basis.”
“This is as much a ‘cultural’ change as an ‘organisational’ change and is another key element in helping to build a modern and open FIFA going forward.”
