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FIFA imposes life bans on three high-ranking officials guilty of corruption

The FIFA announced that the organization’s adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee decided to ban for life three former officials, based on corruption charges against them

© AP/Michael Probst

MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body, FIFA, announced on Wednesday that the organization’s adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee decided to ban for life three former officials, based on corruption charges against them.

According to Wednesday’s statement from the FIFA, the three officials at the issue are:

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- Aaron Davidson (former board chairman of the North American Soccer League (NASL) and former president of Traffic Sports USA, a sports marketing company

- Costas Takkas, a former CONCACAF official and attache to the former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb

- Miguel Trujillo, a former FIFA match agent and owner of sports consulting companies

The FIFA announced in its statement that Davidson, Takkas and Trujillo were found guilty by the adjudicatory chamber of having violated the law on bribery and corruption, which is stipulated by the FIFA Code of Ethics.

"As a consequence, the officials are banned for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at national and international level," the statement from the FIFA reads.

The FIFA also added in its statement that a fine of one million Swiss francs (about $1.03 million) "has been imposed on each of the three above-mentioned officials."

According to FIFA, a probe in regard to Davidson "was opened on 28 May 2015, based inter alia on a press release from the United States Department of Justice one day earlier."

"On 20 October 2016, Mr. Davidson pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of wire fraud," the FIFA stated. "His guilty plea related, amongst others, to schemes in which he offered bribes in exchange for securing contracts for the media and marketing rights of football tournaments."

An investigation against Takkas was launched on May 25, 2017 and, according to FIFA’s statement "On 24 May 2017, Mr. Takkas pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy."

"His guilty plea related, amongst others, to schemes in which he received bribe payments on behalf of the former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, in exchange for awarding contracts to companies for the media and marketing rights for football tournament."

Regarding the former FIFA match agent, Trujillo, the FIFA stated that the investigationa agsint him was opened on April 6, 2016.

"On 8 March 2016, Mr Trujillo pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud conspiracy in connection with his participation in several schemes to bribe football officials," the statement from FIFA announced.

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