Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have had their bans from football reduced from eight to six years by the FIFA Appeal Committee.
Former FIFA chief Blatter and Platini were banned from all football activity over a conflict of interest in a two million Swiss franc (£1.35 million) payment deal made to Platini that is also the subject of a criminal investigation in Switzerland.
FIFA said “the Appeal Committee considered that Mr. Platini’s and Mr. Blatter’s activities and the services they had rendered to FIFA, UEFA and football in general over the years should deserve appropriate recognition as a mitigating factor.”
Blatter and Platini can still go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal the bans.
Blatter’s successor is being elected on Friday.
The appeal committee is headed by Larry Mussenden of Bermuda, who is currently seeking the CONCACAF presidency.
The statement said: “The Appeal Committee concurred with the findings of the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee in the sense that the evidence available in the present case is not sufficient to establish a breach of article 21 of the FIFA Code of Ethics (Bribery and corruption).”
The appeal lodged by the investigatory chamber for a life ban from all football-related activity was also dismissed, the FIFA statement said.
“Michel Platini is banned from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or other) at national and international level for a period of six (6) years as from 8 October 2015, in accordance with art. 6 par. 1h) of the FIFA Code of Ethics in conjunction with art. 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
Platini and Blatter were both also fined.
