Amos Adamu faces another ban over alleged corruption

Former Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Amos Adamu, is facing another two-year ban from all football related matters if FIFA’s adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee finds him guilty of fresh corruption charges.

According to a statement by FIFA’s Ethics Committee made available to The Guardian, “the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee, chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert, has opened formal adjudicatory proceedings against Amos Adamu, former president of the West African Football Union and former member of the CAF and FIFA Executive Committees, based on the final report submitted by the investigatory chamber.”

It said the investigations against Adamu conducted by chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Dr. Cornel Borbély, were opened on March 9, 2015 and the final report was passed to the adjudicatory chamber on December 2, 2016.

“In the final report, the investigatory chamber recommends a sanction of a two-year ban from all football-related activities (administrative, sports and any other) and a fine of CHF 20,000 for violations of arts 13, 15 and 19 of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE).

“The adjudicatory chamber under its chairman Hans-Joachim Eckert has studied the report carefully and decided to institute formal adjudicatory proceedings against Mr. Adamu,” the statement added.

According to the statement, Adamu would be invited to submit his position on the allegations in the course of the proceedings, “including any evidence with regard to the final report of the investigatory chamber (art. 70 par. 2 of the FCE), and may request a hearing (art. 74 par. 2 of the FCE).

“For reasons linked to privacy rights and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, the adjudicatory chamber will not publish further details at the present time.”

Adamu, a former FIFA executive committee member recently served a three-year ban from football for alleged corrupt practices.

He was banned for seeking money in return for voting on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting rights.

He was filmed asking undercover reporters for $800,000 and was not allowed to take part in the 2010 votes.

The bribery scandal implicated Adamu and five other officials in corrupt behaviour and plunged FIFA into turmoil weeks before the votes, which saw Russia chosen to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar selected as the host for the 2022 event.

Adamu was filmed in a sting by a British newspaper, saying he wanted the money paid to him personally so he could finance football fields in Nigeria.