国际足联面临分裂风险 Fears of split in world football after Uefa defies Fifa

Fifa threatened to split apart on Thursday after Uefa, which runs football in Europe, defied the world governing body and refused to suspend its president Michel Platini.

周四，国际足联(FIFA)面临分裂的风险，原因是欧洲足联(UEFA)无视国际足联的决定、拒绝暂停欧洲足联主席米歇尔渠拉蒂尼(Michel Platini)的职务。

Europe’s defiance came after Mr Platini and Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, faced the end of their careers in football following their suspension for 90 days by Fifa’s ethics committee.

欧洲足联公然抗命之前，国际足联道德委员会作出了暂停普拉蒂尼和国际足联主席塞普布拉特(Sepp Blatter)职务90天的决定，两人在足球这个行当的职业生涯面临结束。

The suspensions came after the two men came under the scrutiny of Michael Lauber, Switzerland’s attorney-general, who opened a criminal investigation into a payment from Fifa to Mr Platini in 2011.

此前，两人成为瑞士总检察长米夏埃尔劳贝尔(Michael Lauber)的调查对象。劳贝尔就国际足联2011年支付给普拉蒂尼的一笔款项启动了刑事调查。

Mr Blatter’s lawyers disputed the decision to suspend him, saying the committee had not followed Fifa’s ethics code correctly and that the investigation against the 79-year-old Swiss would soon be dismissed.

布拉特的律师对停职决定提出异议，他们表示，国际足联道德委员会未正确遵照国际足联道德准则，而且针对这位79岁瑞士老人的调查很快将被撤销。

“Uefa’s executive committee expressed its full confidence in Uefa president Michel Platini and stands fully behind him,” it said a statement, adding that Europe would not replace him as president “at this time”.

欧洲足联在一份声明中称：“欧洲足联执委会对欧洲足联主席米歇尔渠拉蒂尼表示充分信任，并全力支持他。”欧洲足联还表示，欧洲不会“在这个时候”换别人来当这个主席。

In a statement, Mr Platini said he was “driven by a profound feeling of staunch defiance”, adding that the action was designed to “crush” his campaign to be Fifa president. “I am more determined than ever to defend myself before the relevant judicial bodies,” he added.

普拉蒂尼在一份声明中称，他“心中有一种深深的、坚定的抗命感”。他补充称，这一行动是为了“粉碎”他竞选国际足联主席的努力。他还表示：“我比任何时候都更有决心在相关司法机构面前为自己辩护。”

The refusal of Uefa to obey a Fifa edict is a serious blow to Fifa’s authority, which leaves the way open for further sanctions and a possible schism in world football.

欧洲足联拒绝遵从国际足联的命令给国际足联的权威造成了严重打击，这可能会引发进一步的处罚，世界足球界可能会发生分裂。

The chaos at Fifa provoked an extraordinary statement from Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, who called for the organisation to be taken over by someone outside football.

国际足联的乱局促使国际奥委会(International Olympic Committee)主席托马斯巴赫(Thomas Bach)发表了一份不同寻常的声明，他呼吁由足球圈子外的人接管国际足联。

Mr Blatter and Mr Platini’s suspensions from all football activities will last for an initial 90 days, but can be extended for 45 more days without a hearing. They can appeal against the decision, but the verdict remains in force while they do so.

布拉特和普拉蒂尼的“禁足”期最初将为90天，但可在不举行听证会的情况下延长45天。他们可就这项决定上诉，但在他们上诉期间这项决定仍然有效。

Before the ruling, Mr Platini warned that if he was suspended he would “stop at nothing to ensure that the truth is known”.

在国际足联作出这项决定之前，普拉蒂尼警告称如果他被停职，他将“不惜一切代价确保真相为众人所知”。

Both Mr Blatter’s lawyers and Mr Platini have said the payment under scrutiny was for “legitimate work” carried out by the Frenchman on Fifa’s behalf from 1998 to 2002. Neither side has so far been able to explain why it was made nine years after the work was carried out.

布拉特的律师和普拉蒂尼都表示，瑞士总检察长调查的这笔款项用于普拉蒂尼在1998年至2002年代表国际足联开展的“合法工作”。迄今为止，两人都未能就这笔款项为何在工作开展9年后才支付作出解释。