Confirmed lifetime sanction on former Afghan federation for abuse

The Court of Sports Arbitration (TAS) dismissed the appeal of the former president of the Afghanistan Football Federation Keramuddin Karim and confirmed the decision of the FIFA Ethics Commission to sanction him in perpetuity on June 8, 2019. FIFA prohibited the former Afghan leader from exercising for life any activity related to football both nationally and internationally, for breaching the organization's Code of Ethics, specifically articles 23 (Protection of physical and mental integrity) and 25 (Abuse of position ).

The FIFA investigation was the result of complaints filed by Afghan players, who accused him of having sexually abused them between 2013 and 2018 and who confirmed these allegations during the TAS hearing on the case. As reported by the TAS, the players testified from a safe place, by phone, through a voice encoder to protect their identity. The TAS panel concluded that the offenses committed by Keramuddin Karim violated basic human rights; they damaged the dignity and mental and physical integrity of the young players and, in addition to destroying their careers, it seriously damaged their lives, for which they must receive the harshest sanction, along with a fine of one million Swiss francs that also imposed the FIFA. The organization chaired by Gianni Infantino welcomed the TAS resolution, which “in an unprecedentedly serious case, has confirmed the importance of FIFA's zero tolerance policy against physical, mental and sexual abuse at all levels of football , as well as the suitability of the most severe sanctions in such cases. “

In a statement, FIFA praised “the courage of the victims who, in dire personal circumstances in their home country, have come forward and have allowed justice to be done.” “We trust that your example will encourage other victims and survivors of such dire circumstances to report them in the future, knowing that they can count on the support of FIFA at all times,” he said, while also recalling the possibility of reporting abuse to through its confidential telephone number and its policy of attention to those who are the object of this type of situation.