[WORLD CUP 2018/22 BIDS] FIFA's ethics committee provisionally suspended FIFA executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii on Wednesday in response to the London Times' sting operation in which they were caught discussing the trade of their votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts with undercover reporters in exchange for the funding of so-called special projects.

Adamu and Temarii are suspended from taking part in any soccer-related activity until a final decision is made by the ethics committee in mid-November.

The ethics committee also handed provisional suspensions to four men – Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee – caught on tape acting as fixers.

"There are good players and the bad players," said FIFA president Sepp Blatter. "As president of FIFA, it is my duty to protect the reputation of football and FIFA from manipulation and bad behavior."

He spoke without answering questions after a press conference presided over by FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke and ethics committee chairman Claudio Sulser concluded.

"Our society is full of devils and these devils you find them in football," added Blatter. "We have to fight for respect and especially we have to fight so that the people in charge of FIFA behave as they should,” he said. “It is a sad day for football.”

The ethics committee also decided to open an investigation into alleged agreements between bidders to trade votes for the 2018 and 2022 bidding process and will also take action by mid-November.

FIFA's executive committee will vote on the hosts of the two World Cups on Dec. 2 in Zurich.