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PARIS (AP) — UEFA President Michel Platini says he will appeal his 8-year ban from football at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In statement, Platini describes the FIFA ethics commission's procedure against him as a "true mockery." He said it had been "orchestrated... by governing bodies that I know well" to tarnish him.
Platini, a FIFA vice president, said his fate had been sealed before a commission hearing on Dec. 18 and that the decision was "just a pathetic manoeuver to hide a true will of taking me out of the football world."
Along with an appeal to CAS, Platini said Monday he will also file a lawsuit in a civil court to seek damages for what he had endured since the procedure started.
The Frenchman said his "behavior has always been faultless and I'm at peace with my own conscience."
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