February 26 – Despite efforts to shake off its tarnished image, Conmebol has been rocked by yet more scandal after its former FIFA Council member Wilmar Valdez (pictured) was banned for one year for breaking his duty of loyalty.
FIFA said its ethics committee judges also imposed a CHF10,000 fine on Valdez, the former president of the Uruguay FA who was removed last year from the FIFA Council having been appointed in January 2016..
Valdez quit the Uruguayan FA presidency in mid-2018 just 24 hours before he was to stand for re-election following the release of secret audio recordings which allegedly compromised his position. He denied the recordings had any link to his resignation. Ironically he briefly led Conmebol after Juan Angel Napout became embroiled in the FifaGate scandal.
The latest case related to Valdez’s unexplained involvement in ”various projects and tenders” by his federation.
FIFA said ”based on the content of the recordings, Mr Valdez had breached his fiduciary duty towards the (Uruguay soccer federation).”
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