Facing life bans for corruption, Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini are expected to go before the FIFA ethics committee within two weeks. A person familiar with the cases tells the Associated Press the hearings should take place from Dec. 16-18 in Zurich. Verdicts are expected within days. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not been made public. Blatter and Platini face separate hearings before the ethics court led by German judge Joachim Eckert. Both are serving 90-day interim bans over Platini's $2 million payment from FIFA that Blatter approved in 2011 as backdated salary. They deny wrongdoing. Platini's Paris-based lawyer, Thibaut d'Ales, said last month that FIFA ethics prosecutors requested a life ban for the UEFA president. European clubs attack reforms A package of reforms proposed by FIFA to clean up the scandal-plagued governing body of soccer was angrily criticized Friday by Europe's powerful clubs, which said it would increase frustration among the sport's stakeholders. The European Club Association (ECA), which represents more than 200 clubs including the major ones such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, said its members were "not prepared to be further ignored." FIFA announced a package of planned reforms Thursday which included term limits for members. A suggestion to increase the four-yearly World Cup to 40 teams from the current 32 was put on hold. "Given the recommendations that have now been presented, ECA was right to believe that a reform process led from within is unable to deliver a sustainable governance model, which is fit for the 21st century," the club association said in a statement. "ECA will now take the required time to assess how it wishes to position itself in relation to this latest development leaving all options open." Nearly all the world's top players are with European clubs and FIFA's international competitions depend on agreements which allow them to be released for their national teams on certain dates. Eight guilty pleas Eight more people indicted as part of the FIFA corruption scandal have pleaded guilty, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed Thursday, as she announced a wave of new charges in the ongoing investigation. "I can report eight additional defendants have agreed to plead guilty," Lynch told reporters at a briefing in Washington. "These defendants came forward and accepted responsibility for their criminal culpability," Lynch said. Those pleading guilty were a mix of officials indicted earlier this year and those whose indictments were announced Thursday, Lynch said. Five current and former members of FIFA's ruling executive committee were among 16 additional men charged with bribes and kickbacks in a 92-count indictment unsealed Thursday that took down an entire generation of soccer leaders in South America, a bedrock of FIFA and World Cup history. "The betrayal of trust set forth here is truly outrageous," Lynch said. "The scale of corruption alleged herein is unconscionable." The Justice Department said the 12 people and two companies already convicted have agreed to forfeit more than $190 million, and also said more than $100 million in addition has been restrained in the US and abroad. The US has sought to restrain assets in 13 nations. Guilty pleas Eight people have pleaded guilty in the sweeping FIFA corruption scandal, US prosecutors announced in Washington Thursday. They are: Luis Bedoya, 56 from Colombia Alejandro Burzaco, 51 Argentinian-Italian Zorana Danis, 52 from Belgium Roger Huguet, 52 US-Spanish Sergio Jadue, 36 from Chile Jose Margulies, 76 from Brazil Fabio Tordin, 50 from Brazil Jeffrey Webb, 51 British-Cayman Islands — Agencies
