FIFA on Saturday found the former head of the Afghanistan Football
Federation, Keramuddin Karim, guilty of sexually abusing female players and
banned him from the sport for life.
Karim had been provisionally banned by FIFA’s ethics committee
following allegations made by five female Afghan players concerning acts of
sexual assault committed between 2013 and 2018.
The investigation
by world football’s governing body found Karim “guilty of having abused his
position and sexually abused various female players, in violation of the FIFA
Code of Ethics.”
Afghan footballer
Khalida Popal — who reportedly had collected accounts from former teammates
that included sexual violence, death threats and rapes — applauded FIFA’s
decision but said it was only a “first step.”
“We are not done
yet,” she said on Twitter.
“Football is not a
place for abuse… Women should be protected,” she added.
Karim has
previously denied the accusations, denouncing them as part of a “conspiracy”
and “without evidence.”
Effective
immediately, Karim is banned from all football-related activity at both the
national and international level.
FIFA also fined him
1 million Swiss francs ($1 million, 893,000 euros).
Karim can appeal the FIFA decision, including at the Court of
Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
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