FIFA World Cup bid scandal cases delayed at CAS

AP, Monday 15 Aug 2011

Three former FIFA executive committee members banned in a World Cup bidding scandal will have their appeals heard no sooner than October, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Monday

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World sport’s highest court said legal submissions have pushed back cases involving Amos Adamu, Amadou Diakite and Ahongalu Fusimalohi.

FIFA’s ethics committee banned all three, plus three other officials, last November after British newspaper The Sunday Times alleged vote-trading in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup contests.

Their appeals to FIFA were heard in February before they were able to launch appeals at CAS.

Adamu, a former Nigeria sports minister, is challenging a three-year ban for bribery that cost him his seat on FIFA’s ruling body, and his World Cup votes.

Diakite, from Mali, lost his position as a member of the FIFA referees committee when he got a three-year ban that was reduced to two on appeal.

Fusimalohi also got a three-year sanction cut to two, but lost his job as Tonga Football Association chief executive.

CAS will be scrutinizing FIFA’s code of ethics for the first time when its appeal panels hear the cases.

The same code was used by FIFA to ban Mohamed bin Hammam from football for life last month, after the former presidential candidate was judged to have arranged bribes for voters in the Caribbean.

Bin Hammam has pledged to challenge that verdict at FIFA’s appeal committee and then CAS.

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