Soccer-FIFA gives ex-Maldives FA chief lifetime ban for misusing COVID funds

FILE PHOTO: FIFA's logo is seen in front of its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland August 5, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

Sept 11 (Reuters) - Former Football Association ⁠of Maldives (FAM) President Bassam Adeel Jaleel has been banned for life ⁠from football-related activities for misusing COVID-19 relief funds for his ‌personal benefit, world soccer's governing body FIFA said on Friday.

Jaleel had previously been provisionally suspended amid an investigation into allegations of money laundering, embezzlement and corruption. FIFA has also ordered Jaleel ​to pay a fine of one million Swiss ⁠francs ($1.23 million).

Jaleel could not be ⁠reached for comment. Local media reported Jaleel is serving prison sentences totalling 32 ⁠years ‌for depositing FIFA funds into his own account and using funds from FIFA's COVID-19 Relief Plan to purchase an apartment.

Maldives news outlet ⁠Sun Online said he had been transferred to house ​arrest on the ‌medical board's recommendation last month. He was previously transferred to house ⁠arrest in March ​but returned to prison after a public backlash.

FIFA said the FAM's former director of finance and administration, Mohamed Ageel, had also been banned for 10 years.

Ageel has ⁠been ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 ​Swiss francs for "facilitating and concealing misuse of FIFA funds, using falsified documentation and failing to cooperate with FIFA's independent Ethics Committee," FIFA added.

FIFA also announced a ⁠lifetime ban for former president of the Montserrat Football Association (MFA), Vincent Cassell, and a fine of one million Swiss francs for "abuse of position, systemic conflicts of interest, misuse of FIFA and MFA funds and conduct affecting the physical ​and mental integrity of MFA staff members."

The MFA's ⁠former General Secretary Tandica Hughes was banned for 15 years and fined 150,000 Swiss ​francs for "personally benefiting from and facilitating improper ‌transactions involving FIFA and MFA resources," FIFA ​said.

Reuters has contacted both the Maldives and Montserrat FAs for comment.

($1 = 0.8144 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)

Thank you for your report!

资料照片：2020年8月5日，国际足联的标志出现在瑞士苏黎世的国际足联总部大楼前。（路透社/阿恩德·维格曼/资料照片）

9月11日（路透社）——国际足联周五表示，马尔代夫足球协会（FAM）前主席巴萨姆·阿迪尔·贾利勒因滥用新冠肺炎疫情救济资金谋取私利，被终身禁止参与任何与足球相关的活动。

此前，贾利勒因涉嫌洗钱、挪用公款和腐败而接受调查，并已被暂时停职。国际足联还责令贾利勒支付100万瑞士法郎（约合123万美元）的罚款。

记者未能联系到贾利勒置评。当地媒体报道称，贾利勒因将国际足联资金存入个人账户，并利用国际足联新冠疫情救助计划的资金购买公寓，正在服刑，刑期总计32年。

马尔代夫新闻媒体《太阳报》在线版报道称，上个月，根据医疗委员会的建议，他被转移到家中软禁。他此前曾在3月份被转移到家中软禁，但由于公众的强烈反对而被送回监狱。

国际足联表示，马耳他足协前财务和行政总监穆罕默德·阿吉尔也被禁赛 10 年。

国际足联补充说，阿格尔因“协助和掩盖滥用国际足联资金、使用伪造文件以及不与国际足联独立道德委员会合作”而被勒令支付 10 万瑞士法郎的罚款。

国际足联还宣布对蒙特塞拉特足球协会（MFA）前主席文森特·卡塞尔处以终身禁赛，并处以100万瑞士法郎的罚款，理由是“滥用职权、系统性利益冲突、滥用国际足联和蒙特塞拉特足球协会的资金以及影响蒙特塞拉特足球协会工作人员身心健康的行为”。

国际足联表示，马耳他足协前秘书长坦迪卡·休斯因“从涉及国际足联和马耳他足协资源的非法交易中获利并为其提供便利”而被禁赛 15 年，并被罚款 15 万瑞士法郎。

路透社已联系马尔代夫和蒙特塞拉特足协征求意见。

（1美元=0.8144瑞士法郎）

（班加罗尔 Rohith Nair 报道，Toby Davis 编辑）

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