By Andrew Warshaw
March 31 – The administrative footballing career of former Asian powerbroker Vernon Manilal Fernando has effectively come to an end after his appeal against a life ban was turned down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Sri Lanka’s former FIFA executive committee member, once regarded as the footballing ‘Godfather’ of South Asia, discovered his fate four months after a hearing that took place just over a year after he was thrown out for breaking ethics rules including conflict of interest and bribery.
FIFA has never specified details of the case but Fernando was a close associate of banned former Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed bin Hammam. He served as FIFA’s regional development officer in South Asia when project funds were directed by a Bin Hammam-chaired committee.
Initially, FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert suspended Fernando for eight years in April 2013. However, prosecutor Michael Garcia challenged the sanction and FIFA’s appeals committee subsequently imposed a life ban. FIFA have never explained precisely how the burly Sri Lankan violated its code of ethics but in rubber-stamping the life ban, CAS revealed he was implicated in the election at the 2009 AFC Congress for a seat on the FIFA executive committee.
At that election, Bin Hammam retained his seat against Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, who has since gone on to run Asian football himself, by a narrow 23 votes to 21. The contest was marred by a vicious feud and allegations of vote-buying levelled by supporters of both candidates.
“The CAS panel expressed a strong message intended to all members of the sporting community, acting in whatever capacity: if one is involved in bribery then one may expect exile from the sport,” CAS said in a statement.
“Vernon Manilal Fernando did not object to the bribery charges but considered that the (FIFA ethics code) should only apply to bribes to third parties and not to other FIFA officials which cannot be accepted,” the CAS said.
The court said Fernando did not provide sufficient evidence to support his arguments.
Fernando formally joined the FIFA exco in June 2011 shortly after Bin Hammam withdrew from the FIFA presidential election against Sepp Blatter in the wake of the infamous Caribbean cash for votes scandal.
Significantly, Fernando’s case has been resolved one month before his FIFA seat falls vacant at the Asian Football Confederation congress.
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