Zurich, July 1 (IANS) FIFA has banned Markus Kattner, former FIFA Deputy Secretary General and Acting Secretary General, for 10 years after he was found guilty of conflicts of interest and having abused his position.
In a statement, FIFA said on Tuesday: “The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found Markus Kattner, former FIFA Deputy Secretary General and Acting Secretary General, guilty of conflicts of interest and having abused his position, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.”
“The investigation into Kattner covered various charges concerning bonus payments in relation to FIFA competitions that were paid to top FIFA management officials (including Kattner), various amendments to and extensions of employment contracts, reimbursement of private legal costs, and Mr Kattner’s duties as an official.”
FIFA found that Kattner had breached art. 19 (Conflicts of interest) and art. 25 (Abuse of position) of the FIFA Code of Ethics (2019 edition) and subsequently sanctioned him with a ban from all football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level for a period of ten years.
Kattner was accused of helping former president Sepp Blatter and other top managers award themselves salary raises and bonuses totaling tens of millions of dollars.
He has also been fined 1 million Swiss francs ($1.05 million) and ordered to pay within 30 days.
–IANS
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