Fifa probing embezzlement disciplinary charges

Fifa has begun disciplinary proceedings against three senior members of Congo-Brazzaville's football federation, Fecofoot, reports BBC News. They include Fecofoot president Jean-Guy Mayolas, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment, along with his wife and son, after being convicted of embezzling funds provided by the world governing body. Mayolas and his family were tried in absentia, with their whereabouts not  known. The Brazzaville Criminal Court found Mayolas, Fecofoot general secretary Wantete Badji and the federation's treasurer Raoul Kanda guilty of money laundering, forgery, use of forged documents and embezzlement on 10 March. Badji and Kanda received five-year prison sentences, while all three men are now being investigated for financial misconduct after Fifa's ethics committee said it received ‘information and documents’ during a review. The criminal trial claimed that $1.3m in Fifa funds had been misappropriated, with the bulk of that money earmarked for a training centre and women's football, as well as Covid relief. This is not the first time Mayolas and Bandji have fallen foul of a Fifa investigation, having received six-month bans in 2015 for breaking rules around gifts and benefits. Mayolas was Fecofoot vice-president at the time. Fecofoot was suspended by Fifa in February last year for political interference, following the Congolese Government's dismissal of Mayolas.