Sepp Blatter

Sepp Blatter’s controversial 17-year reign as the Fifa president appears all but over after its ethics committee provisionally banned him for 90 days ahead of the election to decide his successor in February.

The Uefa president, Michel Platini , who was the favourite to succeed his mentor-turned-rival until he too become embroiled in corruption allegations, has been handed an identical sanction, dealing a huge blow to his presidential ambitions. Fifa said on Thursday that Issa Hayatou is taking over as acting president.

Both Blatter and Platini have been under extreme pressure since the Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber, opened a criminal investigation into allegations Swiss mis-sold a World Cup TV rights contract to the disgraced former Fifa official Jack Warner in 2006 and made a “disloyal payment” of £1.3m to Platini in 2011. Blatter and Platini deny any wrongdoing.

The payment, related to a contract that Platini had between 1998 and 2002 to act as an adviser to Blatter, was made in 2011, months before the 79-year-old Swiss was re-elected for a fourth term.

Fifa later said that Blatter had been “relieved of his duties” after four decades at the heart of world football’s governing body and would not be allowed to represent the organisation in any form for its 90 day duration.

In addition, the Fifa secretary general Jérôme Valcke, who has already been put on leave over allegations concerning the sale of World Cup tickets, has now been provisionally banned for 90 days. Fifa said in a statement: “The duration of the bans may be extended for an additional period not exceeding 45 days.”