Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic controls the ball, during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Manchester United,at Goodison Park, in Liverpool, England, Sunday Dec. 4, 2016. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic controls the ball, during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Manchester United,at Goodison Park, in Liverpool, England, Sunday Dec. 4, 2016. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP) Credit: Peter Byrne

Geneva — Sepp Blatter has lost his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a six-year ban by FIFA.

Blatter said in a statement on Monday it is “difficult” to accept but that “the way the case progressed, no other verdict could be expected.”

The former FIFA president, who was banned for approving a $2 million payment to Michel Platini in 2011, said he will accept the decision.

“I have experienced much in my 41 years in FIFA. I mostly learned that you can win in sport, but you can also lose,” Blatter said. “Nevertheless, I look back with gratitude to all the years in which I was able to realize my ideals for football and serve FIFA.”

The verdict ends Blatter’s hopes of becoming honorary president of the soccer body he left in disgrace.

Blatter could have appealed the CAS ruling to Switzerland’s supreme court. It can annul verdicts if legal process was abused.

Still, his legal problems are far from over.

Blatter now faces a separate FIFA ethics investigation into suspected bribery linked to multi-million dollar bonuses in top executives’ contracts. Swiss prosecutors also opened criminal proceedings against Blatter for the Platini payment, and a sale of World Cup television rights.

Blatter denies any wrongdoing.

Blatter said on Monday it was “incomprehensible” that his claim of having a verbal agreement in 1998 was not accepted “in spite of my testimony to the contrary and the testimony given by other witnesses.”

The Court of Arbitration for Sport was judging whether Blatter was guilty of unethically offering a cash gift and conflict of interest with Platini, who was a FIFA vice president in 2011.

Brazil, Colombia to PlayChapecoense Fundraiser

Rio de Janeiro — Brazil will play Colombia in a friendly match at the end of January to help victims of the air crash that killed most of the players, staff and directors of soccer club Chapecoense last week.

Spokesman Douglas Lunardi also said on Monday that the Brazilian football confederation will donate about $ 1.5 million to Chapecoense.

Nineteen of Chapecoense’s players were killed in the crash just outside Medellin, Colombia, as the Brazilian team headed to the first of two matches against Colombian club Atletico Nacional to determine the champion of the Copa Sudamericana — Latin America’s No. 2 club tournament.

Earlier, South American football confederation CONMEBOL officially gave the title of the 2016 edition to Chapecoense, as Atletico Nacional requested.

Lunardi said the venue will be decided by Chapecoense directors and that all the ticket office revenues will go to the families of the victims. The most obvious choices, he said, are the historic Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro and Chapecoense’s Arena Conda.

Chapeco, the city of the club impacted by the tragedy, has 200,000 residents and sits about 800 miles south of Rio.

FA Cup Draw Set

London — Manchester United will begin its defense of the FA Cup against second-tier Reading, which is managed by former United defender Jaap Stam.

The third-round draw, which sees the teams from England’s top two divisions join the competition, was made on Monday and there were four all-Premier League matchups, including Manchester City visiting West Ham.

Everton will host Leicester, Hull is at home to Swansea, and Burnley is away to Sunderland.

In other matches in the last 64, Arsenal visits second-tier Preston, Chelsea is at home to either Notts County or Peterborough, and Liverpool will host Newport or Plymouth.

The third round takes place from Jan. 6-9.