Players’ union FIFPRO called for a review of governance in Gabonese soccer after welcoming on Wednesday a life ban handed by world body FIFA to a former youth coach found guilty of the sexual abuse of players.

The banned former under-17 coach, Patrick Assoumou Eyi, was also fined 1 million Swiss francs ($1.13 million).

FIFA’s independent ethics committee found Eyi guilty of “abusing his position and committing repeated acts of sexual abuse against multiple players” between 2006 and 2021.

FIFPRO said the ban was the result of “over three years of sustained pressure from civil society, FIFPRO and the media to ensure accountability” but there was more to be done.

“This case illustrates the systemic nature of this grave problem, where an individual may be sanctioned, but the same governance system that allowed it to occur in the first place remains,” it said.

Remy Ebanega, president of the Gabonese player union, said in the statement that the abuse had been widely known about within Gabonese football but “many of those in power chose to turn a blind eye”.

“Ignoring abuse is a clear breach of FIFA regulations, and we now expect a full review of the Gabonese FA’s suitability to govern football in Gabon,” he said.

Reuters has sought a comment from the Gabonese soccer body Fegafoot. There was no mention of FIFA’s action on their Facebook page or website.

-Reuters

Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was innocent when he appeared in a Swiss court on Monday alongside France soccer great Michel Platini, 2-1/2 years after they were both cleared of fraud.

Blatter and Platini were acquitted in 2022 at a lower Swiss court following a seven-year investigation into a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.22 million) to Platini.

The Swiss federal prosecutor has appealed against that decision, leading to a new hearing at the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in Muttenz, near Basel.

The prosecutor asked for the judgment to be set aside in full.

Blatter told the court on Monday he was not guilty of fraud.

“When you talk about falsehoods, lies and deception, that’s not me. That didn’t exist in my whole life,” he said.

“We had principles in my family – we take only money we have earned,” he added. “I am innocent.”

The 2022 indictment accused Blatter and Platini of deceiving FIFA staff in 2010 and 2011 about an obligation for world soccer’s ruling body to pay the Frenchman, who was president of the sport’s European governing body UEFA at the time.

“They falsely claimed that FIFA owed Platini, or that Platini was entitled to, the sum of 2 million Swiss francs for advisory work. This deception was achieved through repeated untruthful claims made by both accused parties,” the indictment said.

The case wrecked Platini’s hopes of eventually succeeding Blatter, who resigned from FIFA in 2015 following a separate corruption scandal.

Blatter and Platini were suspended from football in 2015 by FIFA for ethics breaches, originally for eight years, although their exclusions were later reduced.

The pair were cleared in the 2022 case after a judge accepted that their account of a “gentlemen’s agreement” for the payment was credible. The judge also said serious doubts existed about the prosecution’s allegation that it was fraudulent.

The Swiss federal prosecutor is seeking a sentence of 20 months, suspended for two years, against Blatter and Platini, the former France soccer captain and manager.

‘WITCH HUNT’

Blatter, who was FIFA president for 17 years until 2015, said before the hearing that he felt he was the subject of a witch hunt.

“We did nothing wrong, nothing,” the frail-looking 88-year-old told reporters outside the court at the end of the first day’s hearing.

Platini, three times European Footballer of the Year, denied the accusation of fraud “100%,” the 69-year-old’s lawyer said.

“The court of first instance was right to find that the disputed payment of 2 million francs was lawful,” Platini’s lawyer Dominic Nellen said.

Platini told the court that he had a contract agreed to work for four years as an advisor to Blatter between 1998 and 2022. He was not paid immediately because Blatter said FIFA lacked the funds to pay him at that time.

Platini invoiced FIFA for the 2 million francs payment in 2011.

“I knew that FIFA would pay me what it owed sooner or later,” Platini told the court. “When FIFA asked me to make an invoice, for me it was simple.

“It was 500,000 multiplied by 4 years, that’s 2 million. I made an invoice and ten days later I was remunerated, and I paid my taxes on it.”

Platini said the payment related to back pay and nothing else.

“There’s no corruption, there’s no swindling, there’s nothing at all,” he told reporters outside the court.

A verdict is expected on March 25.

-Reuters

Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

A new rule that will see goalkeepers penalised by the awarding of a corner kick for time wasting has been criticised by former England stopper Paul Robinson.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced on Saturday that they were amending Law 12.2 from next season when keepers will be penalised for holding the ball for more than eight seconds.

Referees will start the clock as soon as the goalkeeper has gathered the ball and will visually count down five seconds and award a corner if the player has not released the ball.

Previously a six-second rule had been in place, punishable with an indirect free kick, but it has been loosely applied.

“These rules are being made by people that have clearly never played the game. They are giving corners?” Robinson, told the BBC.

 “Goalkeepers used to have six seconds — then that went out the game so goalkeepers have started game management and time-wasting. Now they are giving an extra two and it’s eight.”

IFAB insist the new rule that comes into force for all levels of the game on July 1 will speed up play. It will be used at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup that starts in June.

Another former England keeper, Rob Green, believes the six-second rule should have been more strictly enforced.

“Back in the day there was the six-second rule and that has slowly faded away — I don’t know why — I think that was enough of a deterrent,” he told the BBC.

“It seems a strange one to reintroduce, but if we can get more football in the 90 minutes then I’m all for it.

“As a percentage there’s only around a 4% chance of scoring from a corner so it isn’t that much of a threat but at the end of the game, the last thing your teammates want to do is defend a set-piece if you’re winning.”

-Reuters

Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H