FIFA has banned Tanzanian referee Oden Charles Mbaga for life after being found guilty of accepting illegal payments.
Oden
Charles Mbaga becomes the second African referee in as many months to
be slapped with a life ban by FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee for
bribery.
Reuters reported Fifa as saying that Mbaga “accepted
bribes to manipulate several national and international matches between
2009 and 2012.” Mbaga was also fined $200 000.
“The adjudicatory
chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found Mr Oden Charles
Mbaga, a referee affiliated to the Tanzania Football Federation, guilty
of having accepted bribes in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics…and
banned him for life from all football-related activities
(administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international
level.
“Additionally, a fine in the amount of CHF 200,000 has been imposed on Mr Mbaga,” Fifa said in a statement.
FIFA
said investigations on Mbaga were opened in July 2018 but Mbaga reacted
to his ban by telling Reuters that he was last interviewed by Fifa in
2010. He said;
“This is a shocking news to me (sic). I don’t know
anything about me being banned to participate football activities for
life (sic). I really don’t know this.
“I know Fifa was doing an
investigation and the last time they came to interview me about the
issue was in 2010. I told them openly that I don’t know anything about
match-fixing and I have never heard anything from them since then.”
It is not yet known if Mbaga intends to appeal against the ban.
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