FIFA rejects Thapa’s Appeal

Kathmandu, April 23: The FIFA Appeal Committee on Friday said it rejected an appeal filed by Ganesh Thapa, the suspended President of All Nepal Football Association, for review on a suspension imposed on him.

On November 9 last year, the world football body had suspended him from all football-related activities for a period of ten years and imposed a fine of Swiss Franc 20,000.

“The FIFA Appeal Committee has rejected the appeal lodged by Mr Thapa in full and partially confirmed the decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber on 9 November 2015,” a FIFA release issued yesterday said.

“Thapa was found guilty by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee of infringing articles 13, 15, 18 (Duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting), 19, 20 and 21 (Bribery and corruption) of the FIFA Code of Ethics.”

The Appeal Committee, however, said the ban retroactively entered into force on 16 April 2015, considering “the period of 210 days during which Thapa refrained from taking part in any football-related activity during the ethics proceedings.”  Thapa, in the context of the 2009 and 2011 elections for the FIFA Executive Committee at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress, is accused of having committed various acts of misconduct over several years, including the solicitation and acceptance of cash payments from another football official, for both personal and family gain.