Sepp Blatter loses appeal against six-year ban from Fifa

The former Fifa president has said that he will accept the decision

Blatter was banned for approving a $2m payment to Michel Platini in 2011 (Getty)

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter has lost his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) against his six-year ban from football.

Blatter and former Uefa president Michel Platini were punished in December 2015 over a £1.3million "disloyal payment" made to the Frenchman.

The pair's suspensions were reduced from eight to six years by a Fifa appeals committee, with their services to football a mitigating factor.

Platini took his case to Cas and Blatter followed suit. Platini in May had his suspension reduced by a further two years to four years, but Blatter's full sanction remains in place.

A Cas statement read: "The appeal of Joseph S. Blatter has been dismissed.

"As a consequence, the decision rendered by the Fifa Appeal Committee (Fifa AC) on February 16, 2016 remains in force and Mr Blatter remains banned from taking part in any football-related activity at national and international level for six years as from October 8, 2015 and must pay a fine of CHF 50,000."

Cas said Blatter had requested his ban be revoked, not reduced, although the three-person panel determined the sanction was proportionate.

Platini was the key figure in the scandal that brought down Blatter (Getty)

The panel, which heard the case on August 26, ruled the payment made to Platini in 2011 breached the Fifa code of ethics as an "undue gift" and had "no contractual basis".

The Cas statement added: "The panel found that the written employment contract established between Mr Platini and Fifa in 1999 voided any oral agreement concluded between Mr Blatter and Mr Platini in 1998 that the latter would be paid CHF 1 million per year for his work at Fifa.

"Accordingly, by approving a payment of CHF 2 million to Mr Platini in 2011 for the balance of work carried out under the alleged oral agreement, Mr Blatter breached the Fifa code of ethics since the payment amounted to an undue gift as it had no contractual basis.

"The panel further found that Mr Blatter unlawfully awarded contributions to Mr Platini under the Fifa Executive Committee retirement scheme which also amounted to an undue gift.

"Turning to the sanction, the panel noted that Mr Blatter requested the annulment of the ban but did not request a reduced penalty. In any event, the panel determined that the sanction imposed was not disproportionate and therefore confirmed the appealed decision in full."

I have experienced much in my 41 years in Fifa. I mostly learned that you can win in sport, but you can also lose.

&#13; <p>Sepp Blatter</p>&#13;

The 80-year-old Blatter accepted defeat, but described the ruling as "incomprehensible".

"I take note of the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport," Blatter said in a statement. "The way the case progressed, no other verdict could be expected.

"What I find incomprehensible is that the existence of the oral agreement between Fifa and Michel Platini is still steadfastly negated in spite of my testimony to the contrary and the testimony given by other witnesses. A Uefa protocol mentioning the agreement is also disregarded.

"I have experienced much in my 41 years in Fifa. I mostly learned that you can win in sport, but you can also lose.

"In this sense I have to accept this decision (his suspension), although it is difficult to follow it, because the principle of jurisdiction - culpability has to be proven by prosecution - was not applied.

"Nevertheless I look back with gratitude to all the years, in which I was able to realise my ideals for football and serve Fifa."