…imposes $220,000 fine
World Football ruling body, FIFA, has banned Ahmad Ahmad, president of the Confederation of African Football, for five years for corrupt practices, it said Monday.
FIFA also imposed on him a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs ($220,000).
The ban in Ahmad covers all football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international over the period, FIFA announced in a statement on its website Monday.
Ahmad, from Madagascar, has been CAF president since 2017. He is also a vice president of FIFA.
FIFA said in the statement that its adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee found Ahmad “guilty of having breached art. 15 (Duty of loyalty), art. 20 (Offering and accepting gifts or other benefits) and art. 25 (Abuse of position) of the 2020 edition of the FIFA Code of Ethics, as well as art. 28 (Misappropriation of funds) of the 2018 edition”.
The investigation into Mr Ahmad’s conduct in his position as CAF President during the period from 2017 to 2019 concerned various CAF-related governance issues, including the organisation and financing of an Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, his involvement in CAF’s dealings with the sports equipment company Tactical Steel and other activities, FIFA said.
“In its decision, following an extensive hearing, the adjudicatory chamber ruled that, based on information gathered by the investigatory chamber, Mr Ahmad had breached his duty of loyalty, offered gifts and other benefits, mismanaged funds and abused his position as the CAF President, pursuant to the FIFA Code of Ethics,” it said.
Consequently, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Ahmad had breached arts 15, 20 and 25 of the current edition of the FIFA Code of Ethics, as well as art. 28 of the 2018 edition.
“The terms of the decision were notified to Mr Ahmad today, the date on which the ban comes into force. In accordance with art. 78 par. 2 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the full, motivated decision will be notified to Mr Ahmad in the next 60 days, after which it will be published on legal.fifa.com,” FIFA concluded.
