FIFA bans two South American scandal officials for life

TIMESLIVE

AFP | 06 May, 2016 13:46

Chilean police members requisition documents and computers from the National Association of Professional Football (ANFP), within the framework of the case against its ex-president Sergio Jadue, accused of money laundering, in Santiago on December 3, 2015.
Image by: Javier Torres / ATONCHILE / AFP

A FIFA tribunal on Friday banned two South American football officials implicated in a major corruption scandal for life.

The ethics committee adjudicatory chamber barred Sergio Jadue of Chile and Luis Bedoya of Colombia, both former senior FIFA officials as well as vice presidents of the South American confederation CONMEBOL, "for life from all football-related activities", said a FIFA statement.

Sergio Jadue, president of Chile's Football Federation speaks during a news conference

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"The investigations against Mr Jadue and Mr Bedoya were opened on 4 December 2015 and conducted by Dr Cornel Borbély, chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, based on a press release from the United States Department of Justice on 3 December 2015, according to which both officials waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging them with racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy.

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"Their guilty pleas related to two schemes by means of which they asked for and received bribes from sports marketing companies in relation to the awarding of marketing rights for the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores tournament as well as the CONMEBOL/CONCACAF Copa América Centenario and CONMEBOL Copa América tournament.

The president of the Colombian Football Federation (FCF), Luis Bedoya, delivers a press conference in Bogota

"The adjudicatory chamber found Mr Jadue and Mr Bedoya guilty of violating arts 13 (General rules of conduct), 15 (Loyalty), 18 (Duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting), 19 (Conflicts of interest) and 21 (Bribery and corruption) of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
"As a consequence, both officials have been banned for life from all football-related activities. The bans come into force upon notification of the decisions."