Fifa bans 3 soccer officials life taking bribes
You're referring to the recent FIFA corruption scandal!
Yes, you're correct. In May 2017, FIFA banned three high-ranking soccer officials for life after they were found guilty of taking bribes in a massive corruption scandal.
The three officials were:
- Eugenio Figueredo, a former FIFA vice president from Uruguay, who was banned for 24 years for his role in a bribery scheme involving the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
- José Maria Marin, a former FIFA executive committee member from Brazil, who was banned for life for his involvement in a bribery scheme related to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
- Juan Angel Napout, a former FIFA vice president from Paraguay, who was banned for life for his role in a bribery scheme involving the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
The scandal, which was uncovered by the US Department of Justice in 2015, involved widespread corruption and bribery among FIFA officials, with millions of dollars in bribes being paid to secure lucrative contracts and hosting rights for major soccer tournaments.
The bans were imposed by FIFA's Ethics Committee, which is responsible for investigating and punishing ethical breaches within the organization. The committee found that the three officials had accepted bribes and other forms of corruption in exchange for their support for certain bids and contracts.
The scandal led to the resignation of several high-ranking FIFA officials, including former President Sepp Blatter and former Secretary General Jérôme Valcke. It also led to a major overhaul of FIFA's governance and ethics structures, with the organization implementing new measures to prevent and detect corruption.