Zurich — FIFA decided Tuesday to keep its presidential
election date in February as uncertainty surrounded Michel Platini's candidacy.
The governing body held its first executive committee
meeting since FIFA President Sepp Blatter was provisionally suspended two weeks
ago.
Blatter had already announced plans to resign before being
banned for 90 days amid a FIFA ethics investigation over a 2011 payment to
Platini, the UEFA president who was also suspended.
FIFA's ethics committee has been prevented from speaking
publicly on the details of the case. But FIFA said its ruling body agreed
Tuesday to "more transparency for ethics proceedings."
The meeting confirmed that FIFA will go ahead with the
election on Feb. 26 after an update from election monitor Domenico Scala, whose
committee rules on the eligibility of candidates.
Platini submitted his candidacy ahead of the Oct. 26
deadline but he could be declared ineligible as he being investigated over the
payment of 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) from FIFA for work he says
was carried out at least nine years earlier.
Platini has challenged his suspension and is awaiting the
verdict of the FIFA appeals committee. UEFA is pushing for a swift decision.
The European governing body, which continues to pay Platini
and has not suspended its president, has spent the buildup to the FIFA meeting
discussing election strategy, including whether to back another candidate in
the race if the former France captain cannot run.
The FIFA crisis, which was sparked by the arrest of soccer
officials in Zurich ahead of Blatter's re-election in May, led to a reform
process being instigated to overhaul how the organization is run.
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