FIFA have handed lifetime bans to former federation presidents Vincent Cassell and Bassam Adeel Jaleel following investigations into serious financial misconduct.
The governing body found major breaches involving official funds, conflicts of interest and abuse of leadership positions.
The sanctions also relate to the misuse of FIFA funding during the Covid 19 pandemic.
According to the Associated Press, FIFA judges imposed the lifetime bans after examining separate cases involving Cassell and Jaleel.
Cassell, a long time football official in Montserrat, faced charges of “abuse of position, systemic conflicts of interest” and the misuse of FIFA funds.
Meanwhile, Jaleel, who previously led the Maldives football federation, received his lifetime ban for “misusing FIFA Covid-19 Relief Plan funds for his personal benefit.”
During the pandemic, FIFA made up to $1.5 million available through its relief programme.
However, Maldives media reported that Jaleel received a 23 year prison sentence after authorities found that he had embezzled $1.2m.
Reports linked the stolen funds to the purchase of apartments.
FIFA Also Punish Other Former Football Officials
Cassell’s case also includes a long history of disciplinary concerns within Caribbean football.
In April, Cassell and his general secretary, Tandica Hughes, pleaded guilty in a Montserrat court to tax evasion charges.
The pair had also faced FIFA ethics proceedings in 2011 over $40,000 cash payments involving Caribbean football officials.
Those payments related to Mohamed bin Hammam’s unsuccessful campaign against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency.
Despite those earlier proceedings, Cassell and Hughes continued to run the Montserrat football organisation.
The federation remains entitled to receive at least $2 million each year from World Cup profits.
However, FIFA intervened last February by installing an emergency management team.
The governing body cited an “exceptional crisis and institutional paralysis” affecting the organisation’s daily operations.
FIFA also imposed a separate financial punishment on Cassell.
He faced charges of “conduct affecting the physical and mental integrity of (federation) staff members.”
That offence resulted in a fine of 1m Swiss francs in addition to his lifetime ban.
Hughes received a 15 year ban for “benefiting from and facilitating improper transactions.”
FIFA also ordered him to pay 150,000 Swiss francs.
Jaleel, meanwhile, must pay a fine of 1m Swiss francs alongside his lifetime expulsion from football administration.
Former Maldives finance director Mohamed Ageel also received a major sanction.
FIFA banned Ageel for 10 years and fined him 100,000 Swiss francs.
The governing body said Ageel faced charges of “facilitating and concealing misuse of FIFA funds, using falsified documentation and failing to cooperate” with its ethics investigation.
The latest sanctions underline FIFA’s continued focus on financial misconduct within football administration.
The governing body has now imposed lengthy bans and significant fines on several officials linked to the cases, bringing further consequences for misconduct involving federation funds.
