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ZURICH — Gianni Infantino will mark his first working day as president of football’s governing body on Monday by playing in a football match with Swiss-based FIFA employees battered for months by an unfolding corruption scandal.

The match symbolises a return to the primary focus of FIFA that for some has been lost in tales of high-living by top executives and abuses that culminated in the banning of Infantino’s veteran predecessor Sepp Blatter for six years.

When he walks into the presidential office at FIFA’s headquarters on a Zurich hilltop, the new incumbent will quickly have to deal with financial and administrative problems, bring back sponsors, motivate a demoralised work force and engage with clubs and players who are growing increasingly disillusioned.

Previously general secretary of European football’s governing body UEFA, Infantino must also dispel the notion he was elected to represent only the interests of his own powerful continent. Some had expected a Bahraini rival to win the post in a tilt towards Asia for the sport.

FIFA has been the subject of criminal investigations in the United States and Switzerland, although these will be lurking uncomfortably in the background rather than an immediate worry.

The same goes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar in a highly controversial vote in 2010 and the subject of the Swiss investigation.

One of the Swiss national’s earliest tasks will be to appoint a secretary general to take charge of day-to-day operations, a post Infantino has already indicated will go to a non-European.

Another priority will be to lift the morale of the 400-odd employees at FIFA, many of whom are highly-qualified and have soldiered on for the last eight months trying to ignore the chaos at the top.

“They went through a difficult time, a difficult period and I want to tell them that I count on them, that I believe in them and we will do great things together,” Infantino told a news conference after being elected.

Players’ discontent

FIFA’s lack of credibility has made it difficult to sign new sponsorship deals and it is facing a $108 million deficit for 2015, according to Suketu Patel, who sits on the independent audit and compliance committee.

Patel said there was a shortfall of $530 million between the budgeted revenue and actual contracts signed so far for the 2015-2018 cycle.

Jerome Champagne, one of Infantino’s four rivals in the election, has said that two of the eight sponsorship slots for the 2018 World Cup and 20 out of 27 slots for other competitions remained unfilled. FIFA did not comment on the figures.

Infantino will have to come good on the generous promises of development funds for FIFA’s 209 member associations made during his electoral campaign.

“The sponsors need to regain trust and confidence in FIFA and, if we can achieve this, then revenue streams will increase and FIFA will not have to worry about the future,” he said.

“I have vast experience in this area and my track record showed that UEFA didn’t go bankrupt at all, on the contrary revenue increased.”

He must also mend bridges with the clubs and players, who complained they were left out of the process which led to a sweeping reform package passed before Infantino was elected.

FIFA’s competitions depend on a delicate agreement signed with the clubs which release their players for national team games on certain dates stipulated in an international calendar.

The international players’ union FIFPro last year launched a legal complaint at the European Commission against football’s transfer system, which could have wide-ranging ramifications.

FIFPro did not even congratulate Infantino on his election, instead unleashing an angry statement saying it took a “dim view” of the whole process.

“FIFA’s system of governance has been based on favour swapping and financial inducements, not to mention obstructing external oversight from governments and the game’s key stakeholders,” said FIFPro.

“The players, much like the clubs, leagues and fans, were ignored in the latest reform.”

It added that the rights of the world’s 65,000 professional players were “often blatantly overlooked and exploited as a result of FIFA’s monopolistic structure”.

FIFA’s unity is another important matter.

Large parts of Africa and Asia voted for main rival Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and even Infantino’s South American allies admitted there were issues over the drain of their top players to European clubs.

“We have told Infantino that clearly there are opposing interests because of the way the European market operates,” Uruguayan football chief Wilmer Valdez told reporters.

ZURICH — After 17 years under the all-powerful Sepp Blatter, a sign of the FIFA president’s newly diminished powers will come when Gianni Infantino’s salary is revealed.

The head of world football will no longer be the best-paid person in the governing body under reforms instigated to curb the president’s powers after corruption scandals that threatened FIFA’s existence.

Instead, Infantino’s No. 2 — a chief executive in an overhauled FIFA structure — will now receive a bigger pay packet than the president, a person with knowledge of the situation said on Saturday.

A three-man remuneration committee decided that neither Infantino nor his CEO should earn more than Blatter, who was reported to have earned around $6 million — a figure not denied by FIFA and which is likely to have fluctuated based on bonuses.

Infantino, the outgoing UEFA general secretary, plans to appoint a non-European CEO. As powers are separated across the executive, the Swiss-Italian will have no influence over commercial contracts so will not receive bonuses, the person said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because FIFA salaries are not currently allowed to be discussed publicly. Blatter’s final day on the FIFA payroll was on Friday. Having joined in 1975 and spent 17 years as president until being found guilty in December of unethical financial conduct by the organisation’s ethics judge.

The presidency will return to the non-executive figurehead status long established before Blatter won election in 1998 and steadily asserted more control over FIFA. Under Joao Havelange, Blatter was in day-to-day control as secretary general.

Infantino, almost 35 years Blatter’s junior at 45, is seen as a cleaner new face of FIFA as it tries to protect its victim status in American criminal investigations into football bribery and racketeering.

Amid the reformist buzzwords drilled into the 209 football nations in several scripted speeches delivered by acting president Issa Hayatou at Friday’s congress, the message that FIFA must become a “strong and responsible organisation” was the loudest. The sign at the entrance featured the phrase “restoring trust”.

As a member of the reform committee established after the first wave of arrests of FIFA executives last May, Infantino has been at the heart of shaping the governing body’s new appearance.

Canadian Football Association President Victor Montagliani, who crafted the reforms alongside Infantino, believes Infantino will still be able to influence the management of FIFA as it tries to regain its credibility.

“This whole thing about power and the presidential office, that’s ancient,” Montagliani told the AP. “I think leadership is not about power, it’s about service. We are all servants of the game ... and I think there’s a generational change in the game.”

Reform committee chairman Francois Carrard, a former International Olympic Committee director general, acclaimed Infantino as the “most complete candidate” while cautioning that a new era should not be hastily declared.

“He’s a man of action, he’s a doer, not just a talker,” Carrard said. “If there was another president ... he would have to go through a learning curve he doesn’t need. He is an insider of the reforms.”

CAIRO — The Arab region squandered the chance to help elect their first FIFA president because their two candidates failed to cooperate, leaving the door open for Swiss Gianni Infantino to triumph on Friday, Arab football chiefs and pundits said.

UEFA’s Infantino got 88 votes in the first round, three more than Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, while HRH Prince Ali of Jordan got 27 and Frenchman Jerome Champagne won 7.

Sheikh Salman would have had a better chance if his efforts were united with Prince Ali as Infantino won in the second round with 115 of the 207 votes, which was more than the required majority of 104, while Sheikh Salman got 88 and Prince Ali 4.

“Some countries gave promises but didn’t fulfil them. We are all Arabs, but unfortunately some support the other party [candidate] and we hope this changes in the future,” Bahrain FA President Ali Al Khalifa said in a television interview. “We as Arabs should unite our efforts and be clear with each other.”

“It appears from the first round that some countries have joined the other party [candidate]. We have now to look forward and help FIFA’s new president get [the world governing body] out of the current crisis,” he added.

FIFA was voting for a new leader amidst its biggest ever corruption scandal which has seen 41 people and entities indicted by the US Department of Justice.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) pledged its backing to Sheikh Salman while his AFC said it supported him but it seems some of those countries did not give him their vote.

“Africa has fulfilled its promises but it is clear that something happened with Asian countries and this was behind the final result,” Sudan FA President Mutasim Jaffar said.

“Sheikh Salman was depending heavily on Africa and Asia and the plan was to get 100 votes in the first round. He has to find out what happened to his home [vote].”

Second chance

This was the second chance for the Arab region to get a FIFA president after Prince Ali lost to former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter by 133-73 votes in the election last May, when Sheikh Salman announced his support for the Swiss incumbent.

Blatter, who was head of world football’s governing body from 1998, stood down four days after winning his final term of office last May and has since been banned from all football activities for six years for ethics violations.

“Arabs split as usual so a historic chance has been wasted and I think it will not come again,” Arab journalist Mustafa Agha tweeted. “Infantino won because the Arabs split. If there was cooperation we could have had an Arab president.”

Whilst cooperation between Sheikh Salman and Prince Ali could have helped the Arab cause in the election, they would have had to put aside past differences to achieve it.

When Sheikh Salman became AFC president in 2013, he made changes which in effect meant Prince Ali lost his seat as one of Asia’s representatives on the FIFA executive committee.

This lack of support continued when Sheikh Salman said the AFC would support Blatter against any other candidate in previous elections, including the vote last May.

Despite the failure of the region’s candidates to triumph in Friday’s vote their efforts were appreciated in the region.

“Thank you Sheikh Salman, you were a big competitor... and thank you Prince Ali for your courage. You both have opened the door for all to compete with the west,” Qatari sports magazine Estad Al Doha’s editor in chief, Mahed Al Khelaifi, tweeted.

Her Majesty Queen Rania also offered her support to Prince Ali, tweeting: “It’s not winning that makes a leader, but how committed he is to the game. @AliBinAlHussein you will always be a leading light on the field.”

AMMAN — In preparation for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will take place in Jordan from September 30 until October 21, its Local Organising Committee (LOC) will host marketing representatives from FIFA as they hold special workshops from Sunday through Thursday for official sponsors and cities hosting the tournament, according to a statment from the LOC.

The first workshop will target official sponsors in order to familiarise them with their entrusted roles regarding the successful hosting of the tournament. This will not only serve to elevate the tournament, but will also allow sponsors to reap the benefits of promoting their products, thus reflecting positively on all parties involved.

The second workshop will be attended by representatives of the Greater Amman Municipality, Zarqa Municipality and Greater Irbid Municipality — the three major host cities of the tournament. The workshop, which will address several key topics, aims at enabling officials to make use of this historic hosting in order to promote tourism in their respective cities. 

The workshop will discuss how best to promote their cities among the large numbers of incoming tourists and fans expected to attend the tournament along with the participating international teams, as this would present a golden opportunity for them to see the touristic and cultural attractions specific to each city. 

Moreover, the visiting marketing representatives’ programme will include inspection tours of the hosting stadia in order to assess their readiness to hold the tournament. The representatives will assess the stadia, including facilities for marketing activities and requirements, ensuring their adherence to all global requirements. 

“The preparation in Jordan is already highly advanced, and these workshops will play an important role in finalising the plans of our key stakeholders while bringing everyone together ahead of the kick-off in September. The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is one of the key events being held by FIFA in 2016 and I look forward to finding out how our sponsors will help to promote the development of the women’s game in Jordan and surrounding regions,” FIFA Marketing Director Thierry Weil was quoted as saying in the statement, 

As the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup nears preparations enthusiastically continue to ensure the delivery of a prestigious tournament on par with the highest standards of global sporting events, and in cooperation with public and private sector partners, said Samar Nassar, CEO of the LOC in the statement.

“The workshops that will be conducted by the FIFA representatives fall in line with our pursuit to fully benefit from their extensive expertise in the field of organising international sports tournaments, so as to contribute to building local capacities, skills and expertise in a manner befitting the magnitude of this global sporting event. In this way, we aim to reflect a positive image of a Jordan that is capable of hosting global events and international teams with great pride and warm hospitality,” he added.

DEAD SEA — Mohammed Kukhen on Friday was crowned champion of the first round of Jordan Drift Championship with the participation of 44 drivers at the Service Park of the Dead Sea area.

Kukhen in his BMW A46 ended the round, with 168 points, followed by Othman Takriti in his BMW A46, with 153 points, and Munir Hattar in the third place, with 149 points, in his BMW A30.

Around 4,000 fans crowded the area and watched three heated rounds with the best 13 drivers battling it for the win in the third and most competitive round.

Takriti surprised everyone when he captured the first race after collecting 153 points leaving Mahmoud Jabali in the second place with 148 points and Hesham Issam in the third place with 147 points.

Kukhen came from behind in the second race and collected 168 points forcing Takriti to slide into the second spot with 153 points and Hattar in the third place with 149 points.

The 13 best results moved to the third race with Kukhen taking the lead in this challenging first round. 

Jordan Motorsport CEO Othman Naseef told The Jordan Times that the excitement could not be measured.

“It was absolutely amazing especially seeing this huge number of fans coming and watching their favourite drivers marking their win in the first round,” he said.

“The event witnessed the participation of drivers from Egypt and several new faces which shows that this sport is increasing in popularity year after year,” he added.

Drifting is a kind of driving technique used by drivers through oversteering and causing a loss of traction whether in the rear wheels or all tyres while controlling a certain entry to exit of a corner.

Drivers are judged according to speed, angle and perfect track line (90 points), Showmanship (5 points) and smoking tyres (5 points).

ZURICH — The five men vying for the leadership of world football made their final eve-of-vote pitches on Thursday, outlining competing visions for the future of governing body FIFA as it tries to recover from the worst corruption scandal in its history.

Delegates from more than 200 countries will elect a new president on Friday to succeed Sepp Blatter of Switzerland, two days after Blatter and European football chief Michel Platini lost their appeals against bans for ethics violations.

Whoever takes over from Blatter, who ran FIFA for 17 years like a globe-trotting head of state, will inherit a very different job with a focus on crisis management.

"The world is waiting and watching — this is the biggest milestone in the history of FIFA. It will decide if FIFA goes ahead as we want or if it spirals down," said candidate HRH Prince Ali.

South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale described FIFA as "broken" and a damaged brand, though he also referred to some of those felled in the scandal as "friends we have lost".

Swiss candidate Gianni Infantino repeated his promise to offer each of FIFA's members $5 million to invest in the sport over a four-year period — more than double the $2.05 million per federation provided from 2011-2014. He said this could be achieved "easily" by tackling the cost structure of FIFA.

Bahrain's Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who along with Infantino is seen as a front runner, was more cautious, speaking of a “realistic” increase in funding.

"For me, if the numbers are right, we can increase — but I am not ready to mortgage FIFA's future in winning an election."

French outsider Jerome Champagne took a shot at Infantino's globe-trotting campaign by saying the election had been "unbalanced".

"I did not have a private jet to visit you, take a photo and then tweet and say I have got the endorsement," he said to laughter from delegates.

The two favourites were both upbeat.

"I am feeling good and very positive. The support I am receiving fills me with confidence," Infantino told Reuters in an e-mail while travelling between meetings.

A spokesman for his Bahraini rival said: "Sheikh Salman is very confident about tomorrow's vote."

Corruption probes 

FIFA was plunged into turmoil last year when several dozen current and former officials were indicted in the United States for corruption after an investigation spanning dozens of countries into wire fraud, money laundering and bribery. Switzerland has also launched a criminal investigation.

The probes have focused extensively on the awarding of lucrative broadcast and marketing rights to the world's most popular sport. They are also examining the process by which FIFA awarded the next two World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

Acting FIFA President Issa Hayatou appealed to FIFA members in what he called one of the most important weeks in the history of global football, urging them to support a package of reforms on governance. These include introducing term limits for top officials and requiring them to disclose their earnings.

"I urge each of you to support the reforms in full here this week, and then to implement them to their entirety at home," Hayatou said in an address aimed at the six confederations that run football around the world.

"This will send a strong message that we have listened and that we are taking the action necessary to give football the foundation, and protection, it needs for the future."

ZURICH — The African leader prevented from going for FIFA's top job, after failing an integrity check, says delegates must reject proposed reforms at football's scandal-hit global body as they would leave the president powerless.

Liberian FA chief Musa Bility, one of the most outspoken leaders in African football, also predicted half of the continent's votes in Friday's FIFA presidential election would go to HRH Prince Ali rather than Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

FIFA's 209-member national associations (FAs) each hold one vote in the poll that will choose a replacement for Sepp Blatter who has been banned for six years due to ethics violations.

Before the election at a special congress, the FAs will also be asked to pass a detailed package of reforms, including term limits for top officials and disclosure of earnings, aimed at preventing a repeat of a graft scandal that has plunged FIFA into the worst crisis in its 112-year history.

Bility, wearing a red and white-hooped Liberia national team shirt under his jacket, said FIFA was putting the cart before the horse.

"These reforms send a very wrong signal... that we will have a president who will not have all the authority of the president of FIFA," he told Reuters.

"Let us focus on choosing the right person, someone we trust, someone we believe in, and entrust the organisation to that person and then let that person lead the reform.

"We must not make the mistake of choosing wrong people and correcting that wrong by putting laws that will impede the authority of the president," added Bility.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has said it will back Sheikh Salman. Voting is secret and it cannot force the 54 African FAs to follow its lead but Bility said they would not vote as a block.

"I'm sure of 27 votes for Ali from CAF and [Swiss candidate] Gianni [Infantino] is making a very good effort in Africa, his people are here," said Bility.

Be strong

Despite openly contradicting CAF, Bility said he did not fear reprisals.

"So far nobody has come to me to say, 'why are you doing this'?" he added. "You just have to be strong and do good work in your federation because this is where your power is.

"If you don't do that then you have to depend on people to protect you."

Bility added he did not want aid cash from FIFA.

"We don't want money to be given to us like that every year, we want a system just like Europe where every nation will have a league which creates funding for them," he explained.

"Africa has huge companies, they have massive investments. CAF needs to have a relationship with corporations to create leagues in Africa that allow players to play at a professional level and make money on the continent."

Bility's plans to stand were foiled in November when FIFA's electoral commission said he failed an integrity check but he said he did not understand why he was barred.

"I didn't have any exchange with them," he added.

Asked what the integrity check consisted of, Bility said: "Nothing, just newspaper clips. They were afraid, they wanted control over Africa and they were afraid of me, that was it".

He pointed out he had not been found guilty of any ethics violations. "Why am I at FIFA conventions, why am I participating?" he said.

FIFA's electoral commission could not be reached for immediate comment.

AMMAN — The first round of Jordan Drift Championship kicks off on Friday with the participation of 47 drivers at the Service Park of the Dead Sea area.

Jordan Motorsport CEO Othman Naseef told The Jordan Times that the first round, of four rounds this season, is always special.

“We have all the enthusiasm and challenge mixed in the first round. That is why we believe it will carry a lot of signs on the coming events regarding level of competition and seriousness of drivers,” he said.

 “The event will consist of three rounds with the third dedicated for the best 13 results of drivers. Drivers will have to own a special drift driving licence and they will be judged by a committee of experienced drivers,” he added.

Last year’s champion Mohammed Kukhen will be defending his title against his brother Omar, Munir Hattar, Rafat Haroun and others.

Kukhen clocked 1m 27.55s in his BMW A46 and collected 519 points followed by his brother Omar Kukhen (1m 29.45s, 506 points) in his BMW A36 and Othman Takriti (1m 22.58s, 490 points) in his BMW A30.

“We have an impressive list of drivers who will give the event a strong sense of competition. We hope that the event on Friday will attract fans of this popular sport. Last year, only 31 drivers took part in the first round while today, we have 47,” he said.

“Drifting is a kind of driving technique used by drivers through oversteering and causing a loss of traction whether in the rear wheels or all tyres while controlling a certain entry to exit of a corner,” he said.

 Drivers will be judged according to speed, angle and perfect track line (90 points), showmanship (5 points) and smoking tyres (5 points).

LONDON — Barcelona’s Lionel Messi broke free from Arsenal’s shackles to score two late goals and put the Champions League holders on the brink of the quarter-finals with a clinical 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

The irrepressible Argentine, along with strike partners Luis Suarez and Neymar, had been subdued for most of the last 16, first-leg tie but came alive late on, clinically finishing off a lightning counterattack and then dispatching a penalty.

“They are 95 per cent through to the quarter-finals certainly,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose side had defended solidly for 71 minutes until crumbling, told reporters.

“It’s a shame we didn’t get any satisfaction because we put everything into it.”

Luis Enrique’s Barca side extended their unbeaten run to 33 matches and, barring something extraordinary in the return at the Nou Camp next month, will take their place in the last eight for the ninth season in a row.

“I liked everything we did tonight,” the Spaniard told reporters.

Messi has proved a thorn in Arsenal’s side on each of the last two occasions the teams have met in the Champions League.

In 2010, he scored four times in the last 16 second leg to send Barca through and a year later he struck twice in a 3-1 win in Spain after Arsenal had edged the first leg.

Messi, Suarez and Neymar had scored 91 goals in all competitions this season heading into Tuesday’s game but none of the feared trident managed an effort on target in the first half as Arsenal’s fans cranked up the decibel levels.

Arsenal were patient and should have gone ahead midway through the first half when Hector Bellerin’s scuffed shot fell for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but he scooped his effort straight into the arms of keeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

The Catalans began to move through the gears though and either side of halftime wasted two glorious chances.

Suarez, who has 41 goals in all competitions this term, headed Dani Alves’s dinked cross wide with the goal gaping before Neymar was denied by goalkeeper Petr Cech after being played in by Andres Iniesta.

Starved of the ball for long periods, Arsenal still posed a threat and Ter Stegen did well to keep out Olivier Giroud’s close-range header from a Mesut Ozil cross.

Arsenal grew in belief but it cost them dear as they committed players forward and got stung on the break.

With 19 minutes left they lost the ball near Barca’s goal and Suarez and Neymar combined in devastating fashion, the Brazilian unselfishly picking out Messi who steadied himself before beating Cech for the first time in his career.

Suarez then hit the post when he should have scored before Messi scored again, this time with a calmly struck penalty after substitute Mathieu Flamini had tripped him.

In the night’s other match,  Juventus staged a superb comeback from two goals down to rescue their Champions League hopes and secure a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich.

Thomas Mueller pounced on a deflected cross to put the visitors ahead in the 43rd minute and Dutchman Arjen Robben doubled the lead early in the second half before goals from Paulo Dybala and substitute Stefano Sturaro drew the hosts level.

Bayern had looked to be cruising to their third straight win at Juventus with close to 70 per cent possession in the first hour.

Yet last season’s finalists, who have been in superb form in recent months, refused to surrender, and staged a scintillating second-half comeback to leave the tie open after a frustrating finish for the Germans.

Bayern, the 2013 champions, shot out of the blocks in search of a quick goal and were almost rewarded when former Juve player Arturo Vidal’s powerful volley forced 38-year-old keeper Gianluigi Buffon to palm his effort round the post.

Mueller then missed an excellent chance when he failed to tap in from two metres out after Robert Lewandowski had set up his teammate with a superb assist.

The Germany international, however, proved why he is such a prolific goalscorer, when he was in the right place to slot in from 10 metres for his sixth goal in seven Champions League matches this season, after Juve failed to clear a ball in the box.

Robben doubled their lead after the break with his first goal of the year.

Sturaro beat Neuer’s marker to slide in and level in the 76th minute.

ZURICH —  FIFA presidential candidate HRH Prince Ali’s request for Friday's election to be postponed because of an issue with the voting booths has been rejected by sport's highest tribunal.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said in a statement that it had rejected Prince Ali's request for provisional measures and that "the full order with grounds will be communicated in a few days”.

Prince Ali, whose request for transparent booths was rejected last week by FIFA, is unhappy with the arrangements for a vote expected to set a new tone of transparency for an organisation mired in the past in secret dealings.

He wanted the transparent booths to ensure delegates do not photograph their ballot papers. This would prevent delegates coming under pressure to produce evidence of their vote to interested parties.

"I regret that the system let us down," said Prince Ali, who had asked for the election to be postponed if the booths were not used.

"The only positive aspect of today's ruling is it that the election will now go forward as planned, and the media will be closely watching for any evidence that anyone is photographing their ballot," he said in a statement.

“It is now imperative that voters abide by the ban on mobile phones and cameras in the voting booth. I look forward to Friday’s vote and remain as committed as ever to the goal of reforming FIFA.

”Meanwhile, FIFA's appeal committee has upheld bans on long-time President Sepp Blatter and European football head Michel Platini for ethics violations but reduced them to six years from eight, it said on Wednesday.

"The FIFA appeal committee, chaired by Larry Mussenden [Bermuda], has partially confirmed the decisions taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent ethics committee on 17 and 18 December 2015 regarding Joseph S. Blatter and Michel Platini respectively, whose bans have been reduced from eight to six years," it said in a statement.

The committee said that the contribution of both men to football over the years should have been taken into account as a mitigating factor, but applied them only in reducing the length of the ban. The only remaining route of appeal for Blatter, who is 80 next month, and Platini, 60, is with the CAS in Lausanne.

Blatter and Platini were banned over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.03 million) made to the Frenchman in 2011 by FIFA with Blatter's approval for work done a decade earlier.

The decision not to overturn the bans against the two highest-profile elected men in world football completes a shameful treble for the sport following the 12-year ban imposed on Jerome Valcke, who was sacked as FIFA's secretary general last month.