International Football
FIFA BANS FOR LIFE, FORMER BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL BOSS
Former Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) President Jose Maria Marin has been banned from football for life, FIFA have announced.
The 86-year-old Marin was sentenced to four years in prison in August, following his conviction on corruption charges in December 2017.
He was also ordered to pay a $1.2 million fine (£920,000/€1 million) and forfeit $3.3 million (£2.5 million/€2.9 million) by the Brooklyn Federal Court.
Marin had been found guilty of six counts of racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.
Prosecutors had initially sought a 10-year prison sentence.
Marin had pleaded not guilty in 2015 and was then released to house arrest before he was put on trial.
The Brazilian was the first official implicated in the United States Department of Justice investigation into widespread corruption at FIFA to be sentenced.
He has now been banned for football for life by the FIFA Ethics Committee, as well as being fined CHF 1 million (£760,000/$1 million/€880,000).
The official was found guilty of bribery in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
“The investigation into Mr Marin related to various bribery schemes, in particular during the 2012-2015 period, in relation to his role in awarding contracts to companies for the media and marketing rights to CONMEBOL, Concacaf and CBF competitions,” a FIFA statement read.
“In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Marin had breached art. 27 (Bribery) of the FIFA Code of Ethics and, as a result, banned him for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level.
“In addition, a fine in the amount of CHF 1 million has been imposed on Mr Marin.”
The ban has come into force today, FIFA stated, after Marin was notified.
Marin was one of the seven high-ranking FIFA officials arrested in dramatic dawn raids on the Baur Au Lac Hotel in Zurich in May 2015.
The Brazilian had stood trial in New York City alongside former FIFA vice-president Juan Angel Napout of Paraguay and Peruvian Manuel Burga.
Napout, the former head of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), was jailed for nine years for his role in the widespread corruption scandal.
The Paraguayan was found guilty on charges of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, while Marin was convicted of f six counts of racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.
Burga, the former Peruvian Football Federation President, was acquitted of all charges at the same trial.
- Insidethegames.biz
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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