Sepp Blatter has been provisionally suspended for 90 days by the ethics committee of world football's governing body.

A former advisor of Blatter, Klaus Stoehlker, has told The Guardian the ruling was made pending an ongoing criminal investigation by the Swiss attorney general involving the FIFA president.

The verdict was described as pending as no negative findings have yet been made against Blatter.

The 90-day suspension is the longest the ethics committee can suspend an official without a conviction and is a significant blow to Blatter, who has maintained his innocence during the ongoing FIFA scandal.