Blatter has surgery 'for skin cancer'

Paris - Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter underwent successful surgery after being diagnosed with skin cancer and has been released from hospital, his spokesman and a report said Sunday.

The 80-year-old required the operation in Zurich but was in no danger at the time, Swiss daily Schweizer Illustrierte reported, saying the procedure was needed for skin cancer.

"The operation took place on Wednesday and was a success," his spokesman Thomas Renggli told the German-language news agency SID, a subsidiary of AFP.

"Sepp Blatter left the clinic again on Thursday to return home. He is fine."

Blatter was president of world football's governing body from 1998 to 2015, but was suspended from all football-related activity for six years by a FIFA ethics committee.

He will have an appeal against the decision heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on August 25.