The year's biggest kick-out

Judges and prosecutors trashed the reputations of two of the leading Lords of the Rings in 2015 and criminal charges against Sepp Blatter and Lamine Diack were a warning that sport has got to clean up its act.

Bribes, doping, even more bribes, the sky seems to be the limit in the strictly cash underbelly of sports marketing and fixed sporting glory.

The jury is still out on whether the federation chiefs who dominate a sports industry that accounts for up to $700 billion a year -- one percent of world GDP -- will get the message though.

"If Blatter and Michel Platini are banned that will have no impact on other sports. But for sure there are other sports with similar problems," said Sylvia Schenk, a sport expert for the Transparency International anti-corruption group. Patrick Nally, a British entrepreneur who was one of the pioneers of sponsorship for the Olympics and other mega-events, is among the critics who see hope. He said the focus put on FIFA, football's world body and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) means other governing bodies can expect the spotlight.

"It will mean all federations will become more transparent and I think we will see the International Olympic Committee taking a more active role in helping and encouraging federations to meet all the minimum criteria expected of international organisations."

An early wake-up call at the luxury Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich on May 27 blew the lid on soccer's chicanery. The first seven FIFA officials were hauled away in a raid two days before Blatter had expected to seal an easy fifth term as head of football's world governing body.

US attorney general Loretta Lynch said corruption was "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted" in football.

Blatter said he suspected the arrests were politically motivated. The battle was on. Blatter got his vote after his only challenger Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, a FIFA vice president from Jordan withdrew.

But four days later Blatter announced that a new election would be held on February 26 and that he would stand down.

Now 39 football officials and business executives who face charges in US courts account for $200 million in bribes given or taken.

A Swiss criminal investigation into FIFA's finances delivered the knockout blow.

Blatter is a formal suspect for "criminal mismanagement", European football boss Platini was named in the inquiry over a "disloyal" two million Swiss franc ($2 million/1.8 million euro) payment he received in 2011.

FIFA have banned both men from football for eight years.

That means Platini cannot even accept a ticket for the European Championships in his native France in 2016.

But only an appeal miracle will get Platini into the FIFA election in February. Swiss investigators are also looking into the FIFA vote in 2010 to give the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

German police have launched a probe into whether German organisers paid money to get votes for the 2006 World Cup.

Despite the chaos and ignominy, there is no shortage of candidates for the FIFA leadership.

The fallout from the scandal has already been enormous though with sponsors warning they could pull out of FIFA deals if reforms are not convincing. "People are disgusted," said Transparency International's Schenk." Some think it will never change, while others want radical change now. Neither belief is right. It will take time for deep changes at FIFA."