FIFA executive committee member Manilal Vernon Fernando and for long, Sri Lanka’s soccer supremo, was banned from football for eight years on Tuesday, though the governing body did not specify which ethics rules he broke.
Fernando had been a close associate of Mohamed bin Hammam, who was expelled by FIFA for a second time last December.
There have been a number of allegations made against him, including mis-spending of football development and disaster relief funds, following the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
“[Fernando] was found guilty of several breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics,” FIFA said after a two-day hearing by its ethics court, but did not give any further details on the violations.
Fernando’s expulsion could open the prospect for the newly elected AFC president on Thursday to claim a seat on the 25-member FIFA board.
FIFA said Fernando is prevented “from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level.”
Fernando was a FIFA employee when he was elected by AFC member countries in 2011 to join its executive committee. At the time, Bin Hammam was AFC president.
Fernando had served as FIFA’s regional development officer in South Asia at a time when development funds were directed by a Bin Hammam-chaired committee.
The ban is effective retroactively from March 11 this year, when he was suspended to prevent him from interfering with FIFA’s investigation.
Bin Hammam was banned for life by FIFA for “conflicts of interest” relating to his management of AFC contracts and bank accounts. That came after a bribery scandal during his presidential bid to oust Sepp Blatter, who was re-elected.
Fernando is the latest FIFA board member to leave the committee this year, though is by far the least influential. US delegate Chuck Blazer did not seek re-election after 16 years, and faces an ethics probe of his time running the CONCACAF confederation.
South American confederation president Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay resigned last week, citing health reasons. He was also under investigation for taking kickbacks from FIFA’s former marketing agency, ISL, in the 1990s.
MANILAL VERNON FERNANDO – BIO
Nationality: Sri Lanka
Date of Birth: 13.10.49
Mother tongue: Sinhalese
Other languages: English
Place of Residence: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Confederation represented:
* AFC
* FIFA Ex-Co member since 2011
Other functions in football:
Chairman of the management committee football of Sri Lanka.
Occupation:
Attorney at Law and Chairman HolcimLanka.
Professional career:
Attorney at Law since 1972
Hobbies:
Playing the stock market
What does football mean to you?:
A passion and a dedication
Which football club did you support as a child?:
Greenfield SC in Sri Lanka and LIverpool FC at international level.
Did you ever have an idol in football?:
Pele.
What is your fondest footballing memory?:
Meeting Pele first of all and being elected at FIFA.
What has been your biggest disappointment in football?:
The Sri Lankan national team.
Source: FIFA.com
FIFA says…
FIFA, Tuesday 30 April 2013:
The adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert, has decided to ban FIFA Executive Committee member Vernon Manilal Fernando from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of eight years after he was found guilty of several breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics. The decision was reached following two days of hearings held on 29 and 30 April at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich.
The ban is effective from 11 March 2013, the date on which he was provisionally suspended by the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber.
Manilal to sue FIFA
Manilal Fernando’s lawyers said yesterday that Fernando was disappointed with the FIFA decision and will take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee decided on April 30 to ban Fernando from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of eight years after he was found guilty of several breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
The following were the main points mentioned in the statement released to the media by Fernando’s lawyers.
* Mr. Fernando is naturally disappointed with the decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.
* At this point, he has been given no reasons for the decision, but merely that some provisions of the Ethics Code have been breached.
* Mr. Fernando has consulted with his legal team and is confident that he will clear his name. He is prepared to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which is independent of FIFA.
