Fifa suspends Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini and Jerome Valcke

Sepp Blatter, who has been president of football’s world governing body (Fifa) since 1998, has been provisionally suspended by FIFA’s Ethics Committee for 90 days.

Issa Hayatou, who leads Africa’s football confederation (Caf), will temporarily fill Blatter’s boots.

Fifa has also suspended for 90 days its secretary general Jerome Valcke and vice­president Michel Platini, the BBC reported. "The grounds for these decisions are the investigations that are being carried out by the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee," Fifa said in a statement.

The suspensions ban all of them from any football activity in the interim, so Spaniard Angel Maria Villar is expected to head Uefa during Platini’s absence.

The three are being investigated over corruption allegations. The first investigation started when Blatter was accused of signing a contract “unfavourable” to Fifa and making a “disloyal payment” to Platini. Valcke had already been placed on gardening leave following allegations in a newspaper last month he had participated in plans to illegally profit from selling World Cup tickets.

Platini, who is in the running for the Fifa presidency, said he is co­operating with the various authorities.