FIFA prosecutors want 3 banned in South African fixing case

ZURICH – FIFA ethics prosecutors want a six-year ban for a former South Africa Football Association president in a long-running case of fixed friendlies played ahead of the 2010 World Cup by the host nation.

FIFA’s ethics committee said Wednesday that investigators also asked for life bans to be imposed on a Zimbabwean official and a coach from Togo for bribery and corruption.

In previous verdicts, four SAFA officials were banned for up to six years for links to fixed 2010 World Cup warm-ups where referees were appointed by Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal.

FIFA prosecutors have now recommended sanctions against three more men in final investigation reports sent to ethics judges.

They are: former SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani; Jonathan Musavengana of Zimbabwe; and Bana Tchanile of Togo.

No timetable was suggested Wednesday for their hearings.

Nematandani faces charges which include failure to report suspected corruption, and lack of co-operation with an investigation. FIFA prosecutors also recommended that he is fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,400).

Tchanile was previously banned in Togo for taking a fake national team to play a friendly in Bahrain in September 2010.

That 3-0 win for Bahrain was refereed by Ibrahim Chaibou of Niger, who also handled South Africa’s 5-0 win over Guatemala in Polokwane in May 2010, less than two weeks before the World Cup opened. South Africa’s goals included two penalties awarded by Chaibou.

Days earlier, all three goals came from penalty kicks in South Africa’s 2-1 win over Colombia at the re-opening of Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg which would host the World Cup final.

FIFA has not specified which games are under suspicion in the case.

Officials previously dealt with by FIFA’s ethics committee include former SAFA chief executive Leslie Sedibe, who was banned for five years in March.