CONCACAF bans seven indicted soccer officials

This combination of file photos shows CONCACAF region officials implicated in the bribery and corruption scandal engulfing FIFA. Left to right from top row are Alfredo Hawit, Ariel Alvarado, Rafael Callejas, Brayan Jiménez, Rafael Salguero, Héctor Trujillo and Reynaldo Vazquez.

Staff Writer

Dec. 4, 2015 6:45 PM PT

CONCACAF, the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, announced Friday that it has provisionally banned seven high-ranking officials from all soccer-related activities after they were named in a U.S. Justice Department indictment.

The seven, all from Central America, are among 41 men who have been charged since May in a federal probe in corruption in soccer. Those banned Friday are:

Alfredo Hawit of Honduras, a FIFA vice president and executive committee member who was also the CONCACAF president.
Ariel Alvarado of Panama, a member of the FIFA disciplinary committe and former president of his country’s national federation.
Brayan Jimenez of Guatemala, president of his country’s national soccer federation and a member of FIFA’s committee for fair play and social responsibility.
Hector Trujillo of Guatemala, president of his country’s soccer federation and a judge on Guatemala’s highest court.
Rafael Callejas, the former president of Honduras and a member of the FIFA television and marketing committee.
Rafael Salguero of Guatemala, a former FIFA executive committee member and Guatemalan federation president.
Reynaldo Vaquez of El Salvador, the former president of his country’s national federation.

Also Friday the Associated Press reported that outgoing FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, head of the European soccer federation UEFA, are expected to appear before the FIFA ethics committee within two weeks. Both men are facing lifetime bans for corruption.

The AP, citing a person familiar with the cases, said the separate hearings should take place from Dec. 16-18 in Zurich. Verdicts are expected days later.

The two men are currently under suspension by FIFA, which is investigating a $2-million payment Blatter made to Platini in 2011.

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