Michel Platini is set to appeal the eight-year ban from all football-related activities handed down by the Independent Ethics Committee of FIFA on Monday at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), labelling the decision a "pathetic cover-up" of an aim to remove him from the sport.
Along with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the UEFA chief was handed a provisional 90-day suspension in October while a payment of two million Swiss francs from world football's governing body to the Frenchman made in 2011 was investigated.
The Independent Ethics Committee ruled on Monday there was not sufficient evidence to support legality of the transfer, with the pair's assertions of an oral agreement dismissed as "not convincing", and subsequently imposed eight-year suspensions on the duo.
Platini has announced his intention to appeal the decision and will seek compensation for damages suffered as a result of the process.
"As well as going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I am determined to apply to civil courts to obtain damages for all the prejudice I have suffered over these very long weeks," the Frenchman said in a statement to AFP.
"The decision does not surprise me. I am convinced that my fate was already sealed before the heading on December 18 and that this verdict is just the pathetic cover-up for a desire to eliminate me from the world of football."
