Dominican Rep

FIFA bans Dominican Republic official in bribery case

Published Oct. 12, 2018 11:51 a.m. ET

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA ethics committee judges have banned the former president of Dominican Republic's soccer federation for 10 years in a bribery case.

FIFA says Osiris Guzman was also found guilty of charges of accepting gifts and conflicts of interest.

Guzman was fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($151,000), though it is unclear how the fine can be enforced.

During the investigation, he served an interim ban barring him from World Cup games and the 2026 World Cup hosting vote in Russia.

Guzman served a 15-day ban in 2011 in fallout from a FIFA election bribery investigation.

In 2015, the Dominican federation president used a speech at a meeting of regional soccer body CONCACAF to compare then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter to Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill.