Soccer’s world governing body FIFA on Monday banned the former head of its bid evaluation committee for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for seven years for “confidentiality” breaches.
Harold Mayne-Nicholls, a former Chilean Football Association president, wrote the report that gave Qatar the worst ranking of the candidates for the 2022 World Cup finals, which the wealthy Gulf state went on to win.
FIFA’s Ethics Committee adjudicatory chamber banned Mayne-Nicholls, 54, “from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of seven years,” a statement said.
The world governing body did not give details of the charges against Mayne-Nicholls, but said it was for a breach of a confidentiality rule in FIFA’s code of ethics.
Mayne-Nicholls took to Twitter to confirm that he would appeal the suspension and questioned the decision to announce the ban before he has gone through that process.
“Concerning FIFA Ethics Committee ruling before the first instance, I will appeal to higher courts established in FIFA statutes and TAS [the Court of Arbitration for Sport],” he said. “I wonder why @FIFAcom publishes a sanction that has outstanding resources, as this may be modified by higher courts.”
“I ask for understanding,” he said. “I can not comment because there is express prohibition to inform by the Ethics Committee.”
Mayne-Nicholls said in November last year that he was under investigation over e-mails he sent to the Aspire Academy in Qatar seeking internships for his son and a nephew. He also sought tennis coaching opportunities for a brother-in-law.
The Chilean said the internships were “unpaid,” British media said.
Aspire Acedemy turned down Mayne-Nicholls’ requests.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but