FIFA punish corruption duo

Two FIFA executive committee members accused of accepting cash in exchange for World Cup votes have been banned from involvement in football.

Nigerian Amos Adamu has been banned from all football-related activities for three years, while Tahitian Reynald Temarii was banned for one.

The pair was caught up in an undercover operation by English newspaper The Sunday Times, which appeared to show them asking for cash in return for their votes in the December 2 ballot to decide the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts.

The decision was handed down by FIFA’s ethics committee chairman Claudio Sulser on Thursday after an investigation into the incidents, while Adamu was also fined 6300 pounds and Temarii was fined 3170 pounds.

Adamu maintains his innocence and has indicated he will appeal the verdict.

“I am profoundly disappointed with the ethics committee’s findings and had honestly believed I would be exonerated of any charges by now,” Adamu said.

“I am innocent of all the charges levelled against me by the ethics committee and I completely refute the decision they have made.”

“As yet I have not been advised of the grounds of the ethics committee’s decision but regardless, I will be lodging a full appeal against it with immediate effect.”

December’s vote to determine the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts will now be cast by the remaining 22 members of the executive committee, rather than the usual 24.

The ethics committee also suspended four other FIFA officials implicated in the investigation – all of them former members of the executive committee.

Botswana’s Ismael Bhamjee was banned for four years, Mali’s Amadou Diakite and Tongan Ahongalu Fusimalohi were given three-year bans while Tunisia’s Slim Aloulou incurred a two-year ban.

All four were also fined 6,300 pounds.

The committee also investigated alleged collusion between the bids of Spain and Portugal for 2018 and Qatar for 2022, but deemed there had been no deal struck to trade votes between the two.