FIFA Decides Adamu's Fate Today

Dr. Amos Adamu will by the end of today know if he still has a future in football, as the Appeals Committee of FIFA sits to decide the fate of the Nigerian official.

Adamu along with fellow FIFA Executive Committee member, Reynald Temarii of Tahiti were both suspended last December after the governing body's Ethics Committee found them guilty following an inquiry into World Cup vote selling allegations levelled against them by British newspaper, The Sunday Times.

Adamu was given a three-year ban from all football related activities, while Temarii got one year.

However, both men, insisting on their innocence, subsequently lodged appeals with FIFA's Appeals Committee, which recently announced that it would be hearing their cases over 48 hours beginning from today.

But Adamu, who arrived Zurich on Monday for the hearing, has been sounding very confident of overcoming what is definitely a defining moment in his long and often controversial career as a top Nigerian sports administrator.

Speaking before leaving the country, Adamu, who is also a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee, said he expects to get a fair hearing, and ultimately, vindication.

"I don't want to say too much about the appeal but I know I'll get a fair hearing. It is important that I clear my name in this matter and I believe that will be done at the meeting," said Adamu, who is also WAFU President,

The man who will decide Adamu's fate is Bermuda Football Association President, Larry Mussenden, who chairs the Appeals Committee.

If exonerated, Adamu would be cleared to stand for re-election to his FIFA post. The Confederation for African Football has its annual assembly February 23 in Khartoum, Sudan, where it will choose two of its four delegates to the FIFA ruling body.

Apart from Adamu and Temarii's cases, the Appeals Committee will also hear three others. Aloulou, a Tunisian lawyer who chaired FIFA's disputes panel, is challenging a two-year sanction. FIFA referees committee member Amadou Diakite of Mali and Ahongalu Fusimalohi from Tonga were each suspended for three years. Bhamjee got a four-year ban.

A sixth official, Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana, has not appealed his ban.

However, even if their suspensions are upheld, the men can still seek redress at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS); because the Lousanne-based organisation has the power to overturn the Appeal Committee's verdicts.

The hearing will be held at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich.

This Day

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