European Football Associations Call to Postpone FIFA Election

(ATR) Eleven members of FIFA were provisionally banned from participating in football-related activities by the FIFA Ethics Committee on May 27.

Hans-Joachim Eckert, committee chairman, banned Jeffrey Webb, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Jack Warner, Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel, José Maria Marin, Nicolás Leoz, Chuck Blazer and Daryll Warner from football activities at the national and international level.

The punishment comes on the heel of a sweeping investigation by United States authorities on corruption by CONCACAF and CONMEBOL officials within the world soccer body.

"The charges are clearly related to football and are of such a serious nature that it was imperative to take swift and immediate action," Eckert said in a statement.

"The proceedings will follow their course in line with the FIFA Code of Ethics."

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in a statement he "welcomes the actions and the investigations," against corruption and that a Swiss investigation announced on May 27 was kickstarted by FIFA last year.

"Following the events of today, the independent Ethics Committee took swift action to provisionally ban those individuals named by the authorities from any football-related activities at the national and international level," Blatter said.

"These actions are on top of similar steps that FIFA has taken over the past year to exclude any members who violate our own Code of Ethics.

"We will continue to work with the relevant authorities, and we will work vigorously within FIFA in order to root out any misconduct, to regain your trust and ensure that football worldwide is free from wrongdoing."

Blatter is set to stand for reelection for the FIFA presidency on May 29, although calls for postponement have emerged from the Union of European Football Associations.

"UEFA believes that the Fifa Congress should be postponed and that the election for the president should take place within six months," Gianni Infantino, secretary general of UEFA, said in a statement.

"The UEFA member associations are meeting tomorrow ahead of the FIFA Congress. At that point, the European associations will decide on what further steps need to be taken to protect the game of football."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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