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ZURICH (AP) — FIFA has banned a leading African soccer official who faces trial for war crimes in The Hague.
FIFA says its ethics judges banned Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona for six years and eight months on charges including “discrimination and of failing to protect, respect or safeguard integrity and human dignity.” He was fined 500,000 Swiss francs ($500,000).
Ngaïssona was president of the Central African Republic soccer body for more than a decade since 2008. He was elected last year to the Confederation of African Football executive committee.
He is suspected of war crimes in 2013 and 2014 as leader of the Christian anti-Balaka militia which targeted Muslims
In the period he was allegedly committing war crimes, Ngaïssona was a member of FIFA’s panel organizing the Club World Cup. FIFA appointed him in 2017 to its member associations committee.
Ngaïssona was arrested last December in France and transferred to the Netherlands where the International Criminal Court is based.
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