ZCZC
BSP-06
FBL-GUA-FIFA-CORRUPTION
FIFA lifts suspension on Guatemala
GUATEMALA CITY, June 1, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – FIFA Thursday lifted a suspension
imposed on Guatemala 18 months ago over its failure to comply with anti-
corruption rules.
The suspension prevented Guatemalan teams from participating in
international competitions such as the Gold Cup, the Central American Games
and the CONCACAF Champions League.
“FIFA has today lifted the suspension that was imposed on the Guatemalan
Football Association” Fedefut, it said in a statement.
Football’s governing body said it made the decision after receiving a
letter from Juan Carlos Rios, the head of a FIFA-appointed “Normalization
Committee” to oversee the Fedefut. The letter confirmed that the committee
was operational.
The suspension “is lifted with immediate effect, restoring all its rights
as a federation member of FIFA,” Rios told a press conference. “It is a very
happy day for us.”
FIFA sanctioned Guatemala in October 2016 after it failed to authorize the
normalization committee after an international corruption scandal that rocked
world football.
Former Fedefut general secretary Hector Trujillo was the first person
brought down in the scandal to be sentenced to jail, given eight months by a
judge in New York in October for wire fraud.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0856 hrs