The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will announce a decision on whether Michel Platini’s suspension from football should be lifted on Friday at about 0900 GMT, the tribunal said.
The FIFA vice president appeared before CAS judges on Wednesday with his lawyers to plead the case for him to be allowed to return so that he can take part in FIFA’s election campaign for a new president.
Platini has been named in a Swiss criminal investigation into FIFA leader Sepp Blatter. Platini received a two million Swiss franc ($2 million) payment from FIFA which is under investigation.
The two acknowledge there was no contract for the fee, but insist that their “oral contract” is valid under Swiss law and deny any wrongdoing. Platini’s lawyers say FIFA’s ethics watchdog wants him banned for life.
A CAS statement said that on Thursday “the CAS Panel in charge of the arbitration heard the parties’ arguments regarding the temporary lifting of Mr Platini’s provisional 90-day suspension. The CAS intends to announce the Panel’s decision at around 10.00am on Friday.”
Blatter, 79, and Platini, 60, will appear next week before FIFA’s adjudicatory chamber which must decide whether they should face a definitive punishment.
Blatter’s case will be heard on December 17 and Platini the following day.
The FIFA court has not said when a decision will be announced. – Agence France-Presse
