FIFA’s Ethics Committee imposed life ban on three officials for bribery and corruption after they pleaded guilty in the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation of international football.
Marketing executive, Aaron Davidson, aide Costas Takkas and match agent, Miguel Trujillo were also fined 1 million Swiss francs ($1.03 million).
It is unclear if FIFA has power to enforce the fines, though ethics judges have typically imposed large financial penalties in cases arising from the sprawling U.S. federal probe.
In Brooklyn Federal Court, Davidson pleaded guilty to racketeering and wire fraud, Takkas admitted money laundering and Trujillo pleaded guilty to money laundering and wire fraud.
Davidson, who ran a Miami-based marketing firm that worked closely with the North American Soccer League, once served on the league’s board of governors.
He pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy charges amid evidence he bribed officials to securing contracts for media and marketing rights. Takkas, a British aide to former FIFA vice president and CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, got a 15-month prison sentence last year and faced deportation from the United States.
In another development, 53 more Ghanaian referees have been banned, following a bribery probe that was launched after some football officials were secretly filmed accepting money by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Six referees were handed life-time bans in the wake of an investigation into bribery, by the Referees’ Association of Ghana (RAG).
Forty seven match officials were banned for 10 years each, while another 14 were exonerated. It brings the total with life bans to eight and those with 10-year bans to 53.
It was gathered that the Ghanaian Referees on the list released by RAG have until 1 October to appeal against the rulings, as RAG have also confirmed the sanctions handed down by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) last month – two for life and six others for 10 years.
The statement released by RAG said those facing lifetime bans “were found culpable for seriously breaching various portions of Disciplinary Code, Code of the Ethics and Regulations of the football controlling bodies by their actions and inactions.”
The video released by Anas’ film, has seen the Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi resign from his post, as well as from positions he held with CAF and FIFA.
David Laryea and Reginald Lathbridge had already been banned for life by CAF, they have been joined by Safo Adade, Samuel Sukah, Dally Gagba, Furella Barnie, Charles Duwona and Umar Teni.
