FIFA’s Ethics Commission on Friday called for a life ban from football for the former head of the CONCACAF federation and former Honduras federation president Alfredo Hawit on corruption charges.
Hawit was extradited from Switzerland last January to the United States to face charges a month after his arrest in Zurich on the fringes of a FIFA executive committee meeting.
US prosecutors have accused the 65-year-old of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and money laundering in connection with the sale of broadcasting rights for tournaments in Latin America, including World Cup qualifiers when he was secretary-general of the Honduran Football Federation between 2008 and 2014.
Hawit pleaded guilty to charges on four counts of conspiracy and obstructing justice last April at a Brooklyn court.
FIFA’s top ethics investigator Dr Cornel Borbely had already called for the former president of Honduras, Rafael Callejas to be banned from football for life for his role in corruption scandals.
After leading the Central American republic of Honduras between 1990 and 1994, Callejas became president of the Honduran Football Association (FENAFUTH) in 2002, and also served on FIFA’s marketing and television committee.
Callejas, who pleaded guilty last March and was president of his county between 1990 and 1994, was indicted by the US Department of Justice on fraud and racketeering charges pertaining to broadcasting rights for the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups
FIFA calls for life ban on ex-CONCACAF president
About the author
Jade Webster
Jade Webster has rejoined the Cayman 27 Team as Sports Reporter/ Producer in August 2016. Jade has a background in News and has developed a passion for Sports while covering international Games. Jade was one of 35 Young Reporters selected worldwide to be apart of the Young Reporters Programme by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. She was awarded the 'Best IOC Young Reporter', and went on to cover the Second Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lilehammer, Norway. Jade was also selected as a Young Reporter in 2015 to cover the Toronto Pan American Games, where she was awarded a Hockey Stick for her hard-work and dedication. Jade was the Press Officer for the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. She graduated with honors in Broadcast Journalism from the University of South Florida
