The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has sanctioned Mr Manuel Francisco Antonio Burga Seoane, the former President of the Peruvian Football Association and a former member of both the CONMEBOL Executive Committee and the FIFA (www.FIFA.com) Development Committee.
In particular, Mr Burga Seoane has been issued with a lifetime ban from taking part in all football-related activities and ordered to pay a fine amounting to CHF 1,000,000, after having been determined to have participated in bribery schemes and accepted undue pecuniary advantages.
After having conducted a hearing and upon careful analysis of the evidence provided before the adjudicatory chamber, in addition to the evidence collected during the investigations conducted by the investigatory chamber in the applicable proceedings, the adjudicatory chamber was comfortably satisfied that Mr Burga Seoane had breached articles 13 (General rules of conduct), 15 (Loyalty), 19 (Conflicts of interest), 20 (Offering and accepting gifts or other benefits) and 21 (Bribery and corruption) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2012 edition.
The terms of the decision were notified to Mr Burga Seoane today – the date on which the aforementioned ban will come into force – and will be followed by the notification of the grounds within the next 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics.
The sanction imposed on Mr Burga Seoane follows a previous decision rendered by the adjudicatory chamber in July 2019 that was subsequently annulled by CAS and referred back to the investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee.
Indonesian football official sanctioned
In addition to the above, the adjudicatory chamber has banned Mr Bimo Wirjasoekarta, the President of Indonesian club Tira Persikabo, from taking part in all football-related activities for a duration of two years (suspended for a probationary period of three years) after having found him guilty of acts of intimidation, coercion, threat and exploitation towards a player. The adjudicatory chamber also imposed a fine amounting to CHF 10,000 on Mr Wirjasoekarta.
In particular, the adjudicatory chamber was comfortably satisfied that Mr Wirjasoekarta had breached art. 24 (Protection of physical and mental integrity), art. 26 (Abuse of position) and, by corollary, art. 14 (General duties) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2023 edition.
The terms of the decision were notified to Mr Wirjasoekarta today and will be followed by the notification of the grounds within the next 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics.
FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football and the Ethics Committee handles all such cases in line with the Code of Ethics, taking into account the specificity of each.
FIFA also provides a confidential, dedicated, highly secure and web-based whistle-blowing system (https://apo-opa.info/435WEjB) so that individuals can report any safeguarding concerns.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA Ethics Committee.
