Zurich: Fifa ethics investigators said on Tuesday they are planning an appeal that could extend eight-year ban on world soccer body president Joseph "Sepp" Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini, raising the possibility of lifelong exclusion.

Blatter and Platini were both banned from soccer last month for ethics violations, leaving the global game leaderless as it seeks to dig itself out from beneath a slew of corruption cases. Both have denied wrongdoing.

The two escaped potential lifetime bans demanded by the committee's investigatory arm when the panel's adjudicatory chamber found no evidence of bribery linked to a 2 million Swiss franc ($2 million) payment Fifa made to Platini in 2011, with Blatter's approval.

"We have announced we plan to appeal the 8-year bans against Platini and Blatter," investigatory panel spokesman Andreas Bantel told reporters in Zurich, where Fifa has its headquarters.

While Blatter and Platini have said the panel was seeking a life-time ban from the sport, Bantel said he declined to comment on the content of its appeal.

Blatter has said he feels "abandoned" by the global soccer body and will now focus on clearing his name through his own appeal.

Platini, who was the strong favourite to succeed Blatter until becoming mired in allegations that led to his ban, has also said he will appeal. The crisis gripping the soccer world began with arrests of a group of Fifa officials at a luxury Zurich hotel in May.