June 14 – AFDP Global, the international social enterprise set up to use football as a tool for change in deprived communities, has welcomed FIFA’s ground-breaking move to ban former Afghan FA president Keramuudin Karim for life for sexual abuse.
Earlier this week, in its most significant stance yet to combat sexual abuse of women players, FIFA threw Karim out of the game and fined him one million Swiss francs.
In a statement AFDP Global, spearheaded by two-time former FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, praised football’s world governing body for taking “an important first step toward justice for those affected by individuals within the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF). “
However, it called for further action by FIFA since the punishment meted out to Karim was “not enough” and said should also be extended to others since “sexual harassment and abuse were widespread within AFF.”
“All those involved, and those complicit in condoning or covering up this terrible abuse, must also be held fully accountable and punished.”
“The rehabilitation of football in Afghanistan must be made the highest priority, but this will not be possible while these individuals remain in power. The Afghanistan Attorney General’s Office has launched a concurrent investigation into the allegations, and enforced an international travel ban on the AFF President and four additional members of his staff while they pursue the case.
“Yet neither FIFA nor AFC have yet to open an investigation into these additional individuals. In a shocking display of gross negligence, one of them, the AFF Secretary General, passed a FIFA background check, and was elected an AFC Executive Committee Member on April 6. This is unacceptable.”
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