A FIFA appeal committee rejected Wednesday a bid by longtime president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini to overturn their 90-day suspensions while Swiss police pursue a criminal investigation.

    Blatter and Platini were handed the provisional bans in early October over a “disloyal payment” made to the Frenchman in 2011. Both deny any wrongdoing and appealed their cases with world soccer’s governing body, but have been unsuccessful in overturning the sanctions.

    A FIFA statement read: “The FIFA Appeal Committee has today rejected in full the appeals lodged by Joseph S. Blatter and Michel Platini and confirmed in their entirety the respective decisions concerning provisional measures taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee.”

    The sanctions can be extended by up to 45 days, which would effectively end the outgoing Blatter’s reign over world soccer, with the FIFA congress where a replacement will be chosen scheduled for Feb. 26 next year.

    Blatter, 79, left the hospital Thursday after what was described as a “small emotional breakdown.”(SD-Agencies)