Nigeria: Adamu Appeals to CAS

6 May 2011

Former FIFA Executive member Amos Adamu has appealed to sport’s highest appeal body to overturn his three-year ban from football for seeking bribes.

Lausanne’s Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) yesterday confirmed that Adamu has appealed against his three year ban from all football-related activity.

Adamu was caught in the midst of last year’s World Cup bid race by Sunday Times journalists posing as lobbyists for the USA bid asking for an $800,000 bribe in return for his support on the December 2 vote.

He was suspended a fortnight prior to the vote, along with Oceania’s representative, Reynald Temarii. Four other senior football administrators – Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite,Ismail Bhamjee and Ahongalu Fusimalohi – also received bans of up to four years after being caught out by the reporters.

Fusimalohi, previously secretary general of the Tonga Football Association, is also appealing against a two year ban, handed out after he was caught on camera claiming that Morocco sought to bribe officials when bidding for the 2010 World Cup. He also discussed receiving $100,000 from the covert reporters.

“In both cases, the appellants request that they be found not guilty and the sanctions against them be annulled,” CAS said in a statement.

“The cases will be handled in accordance with the procedural rules set out in the Code of Sports-related Arbitration.”

CAS did not give a date for the hearing, but said that defendants would start with written submissions relating to the case.

Adamu had been on the executive committee for Fifa and the Confederation of African Football, as well as the president of the West African Football Union, before his ban.

AllAfrica – All the Time