Appeal panel lifts Al-Mohannadi ban
Chung finally launches CAS appeal over FIFA ban Cancel Bahrain GP, say ‘rights’ groups
ZURICH, April 6, (RTRS): Qatari and Asian soccer official Saoud Al-Mohannadi has won an appeal against a one-year ban that prevented him from standing for a place on the FIFA Council, soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
Al-Mohannadi, a vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Qatar Football Association (QFA), was banned by FIFA’s ethics watchdog in November for failing to cooperate as a witness in an investigation.
He had previously been disqualified from standing for a place on the FIFA Council while the matter was investigated.
However, FIFA’s Appeal Committee said in a statement on Thursday that there was insufficient evidence to establish that Al-Mohannadi had violated the code of ethics. It also lifted a 20,000 Swiss franc ($19,930.24) fine levied against him.
His disqualification in September led delegates to cancel an extraordinary AFC Congress which had been called to choose Asian places on the FIFA Council. The agenda was voted down after just 27 minutes of the Congress in Goa.
The election for four places on the Council will now go ahead in May although the AFC has already published the names of the eight candidates.
The AFC could not immediately be reached to comment on whether Al-Mohannadi would be allowed to stand.
Chung Mong-joon is taking his fight against a lengthy ban from football to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as part of a decades-long battle to reform the game’s governing body, the former FIFA vice president said on Thursday.
The South Korean’s bid to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA president was torpedoed in 2015 when the governing body banned him from all football-related activities for six years and fined him 100,000 Swiss francs ($99,800) following a probe into corruption.
FIFA’s Appeals Committee reduced Chung’s ban to five years and cut the fine in half last July, saying there was not enough evidence to prove he had infringed an article of FIFA’s ethics code covering confidentiality.
Five-times world champions Brazil have returned to what they will consider their rightful place at the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years.
Brazil have enjoyed a impressive revival since Tite replaced Dunga as their national team coach last year, winning all nine matches they have played under his leadership including eight World Cup qualifiers.
They continued their run in March with a 4-1 win in Uruguay and 3-0 win over Paraguay to become the first side to book their place at next year’s World Cup in Russia with four games to spare.
Brazil, who replaced arch-rivals Argentina at the top, previously led the rankings going into the 2010 World Cup where they were eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Since then, they have suffered a string of embarrassments, with elimination by Paraguay at successive Copa America tournaments in 2011 and 2015 and their infamous 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-final.
Argentina lost their place after last week’s 2-0 defeat in Bolivia which has left them struggling to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Four of the top five teams in the rankings announcement by FIFA on Thursday, are from South America. Chile are fourth, Colombia fifth and Germany sandwiched in between in third.
Egypt are Africa’s best-placed team in 19th while Asia’s top side are 28th-placed Iran.
Top ten rankings (previous month’s places in brackets) 1. Brazil (2); 2. Argentina (1); 3. Germany (3); 4. Chile (4); 5. Colombia (7); 6. France (6); 7. Belgium (5); 8. Portugal (8); 9. Switzerland (11); 10. Spain (10).
Hatem Ben Arfa made a case for a regular place in the team when he scored twice and set up another to earn a largely reserve Paris St Germain side a 4-0 win at third division Avranches and a spot in the French Cup semifinals on Wednesday.
Ben Arfa, who has only started five Ligue 1 games this season after joining from Nice, struck each side of the interval as the defending champions joined En Avant Guingamp, Angers and Monaco in the last four.
LONDON, April 6, (RTRS): Human rights campaigners have urged Formula One management to cancel next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix, accusing the country’s rulers of using the race to “whitewash” abuses and improve their image abroad.
Bahrain’s biggest sporting event is watched by a worldwide audience of millions and has been held since 2004, with the exception of 2011 when violent civil unrest forced its cancellation.
“Concerted and visible action is now required from Formula One, consistent with its commitment to human rights,” the groups said in a letter to Formula One chairman Chase Carey and the two managing directors Sean Bratches and Ross Brawn.
“We call on you to suspend this year’s race in view of the alarming situation in the country.”
The letter, also addressed to the chief executive of F1 sponsor Heineken, was sent by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, Article 19 and Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain.
Activists recognised privately, after a media briefing, that they did not expect the call to be heeded.