Nematandani: FIFA has left me in the dark

Former South African Football Association (SAFA) President Kirsten Nematandani has spoken out following the five year ban from all football activities handed down to him by a FIFA Ethics Committee Adjudicatory Chamber.

 

The charges related to the pre-World Cup 2010 international friendly match-fixing scandal.

 

Nematandani was found guilty of having violated Article 13 (General rules of conduct), Article 15 (Loyalty) and Article 18 (Duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting) of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE) .

 

Two further football officials, one from Zimbabwe, received a lifetime ban for their role in the scandal.

Former SAFA chief Nematandani slapped with FIFA ban

 

Although the charges against Namatandani related predominantly to non-disclosure and non co-operation, the former SAFA chief is adamant his rights have been violated.

 

Nematandani claims he never received correspondence from the world soccer controlling body on the matter during the course of the process and says he was never invited to appear before the Ethics Committee to state his case.

 

He claims he has had to rely on hearsay and media reports. This, he feels, could be compared to a criminal trial in absentia.

 

Nematandani is still uncertain of any possible appeal, saying he still needs to consult with his legal representatives. The appeal route is open to Nematandani via the International Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS).

 

"I will wait for them to send me detailed findings and alert me as to how they arrived at their findings and then consider my legal options from there," says Nematandani

 

"At this point in time I don't have any correspondence from FIFA, so I am very wary to comment on something I do not have at this stage," he adds.

 

"I am in the dark and that's how things stand right now," he concludes.

 

For now, however, Nematandani is not allowed to take part in any football-related activities at all levels until December 2021.