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Sepp Blatter Suspended Amid Criminal Investigation

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has been provisionally suspended for 90 days as the FIFA corruption scandal drags on.

Sepp Blatter Suspended Amid Criminal Investigation
Getty Images / Philipp Schmidli
SMS

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is being sidelined for up to three months. Reports Thursday say Blatter, along with several other top soccer officials, have been provisionally suspended. 

In addition to Blatter, UEFA President and FIFA Vice-President Michel Platini, and FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke are also banned for 90 days. 

FIFA released a statement saying, in part, "The grounds for these decisions are the investigations that are being carried out by the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee." 

Blatter is under investigation by Swiss authorities and could still face criminal charges for an alleged "disloyal payment" he made to Platini, who is a FIFA presidential hopeful. (Video via BBC)

And, if criminal charges and a suspension weren't enough, Chung Mong-joon — head of South Korea's soccer association and, yes, another FIFA presidential candidate — said he plans to sue Blatter for embezzlement. Chung was also suspended from FIFA on Thursday for six years for wrongdoing surrounding South Korea's 2022 World Cup bid. (Video via Arirang

Blatter, Platini and Chung have all denied allegations against them. Blatter told a German newspaper Tuesday he doesn't plan on resigning immediately but said he will continue to fight until he steps down — as planned — in February. (Video via France 24)

Senior vice president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon will serve as FIFA's interim president. (Video via RTS)

This video includes images from Getty Images.