April 8 – Two and half years after being banned for life by FIFA, former Conmebol bigwig Manuel Burga has had the ban annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and his case sent back for a fresh investigation.
CAS said its panel of judges partially upheld an appeal by Burga (pictured right) against FIFA “on the basis of a violation of due process rights”.
Burga’s ban was overturned “and the case has been referred back to the FIFA Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee which will have to resume the procedure.”
Burga was president of Peru’s FA when he was caught up in the Fifagate scandal. He stood trial in Brooklyn with two other South American powerbrokers and was the only one acquitted in December 2017.
After the verdict was announced he broke down in tears and said he would return to Peru and resume his career as a lawyer saying: “My history in soccer is finished.”
Two years later, FIFA investigators argued there was “overwhelming evidence” Burga got or had been promised $6.6 million in bribes linked to marketing deals for competitions including the Copa America and Copa Libertadores.
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