AS THE Star went to press yesterday, Sepp Blatter was being recommended for a 90-day suspension by the Fifa ethical committee pending a further investigation by Swiss prosecutors.

The suspension has to be confirmed by Judge Hans-Joachim Eckert before being finalised but is a big step towards the attempted removal of the Fifa president.

Fifa’s major sponsors Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Visa all called for Blatter to be removed from his position over the weekend but the outgoing head of Fifa said yesterday that he was being “condemned without there being any evidence for wrongdoing.”

The Swiss attorney general opened criminal proceedings against Blatter last month. He has been accused of signing a contract “unfavourable” to football’s governing body and making a “disloyal payment” to Uefa president Michel Platini.