The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismisses the appeal of Ricardo Terra Teixeira

Lausanne, 14 September 2021 - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by Brazilian football official Ricardo Terra Teixeira against the decision taken by the Ethics Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) dated 26 July 2019 (the Challenged Decision).

The Challenged Decision, in which Ricardo Terra Teixeira was found to have violated Article 27 of the FIFA Ethics Code (bribery), fined CHF 1 million, and banned for life from taking part in any football-related activity at national and international level, is confirmed.

On 20 December 2019, Ricardo Terra Teixeira filed an appeal at the CAS against the Challenged Decision, seeking a declaration that FIFA did not have jurisdiction to prosecute him as well as the annulment of the Challenged Decision.

The CAS Panel appointed to decide the matter: Mr Hendrik Willem Kesler (Netherlands), President, Judge Rauf Soulio (Australia) and Prof. Luigi Fumagalli (Italy) held a hearing with the parties by video conference on 24 February 2021 after several dates that had been fixed for an in-person hearing in 2020 had to be cancelled due to restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its deliberations, the CAS Panel comfortably concluded that Ricardo Terra Teixeira had breached Article 27 of the FIFA Ethics Code and determined that the sanction imposed in the Challenged Decision was proportionate considering the extraordinarily high amounts of the bribes at stake, Ricardo Terra Teixeira’s intentional behaviour, and his responsibility to serve as a role model as a result of the very prominent and senior positions he held in association football both at national and international level. Consequently, the Panel dismissed the appeal and confirmed the Challenged Decision in full.

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