FIFA ban for Brazilian soccer official upheld at Swiss court
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - Brazilian soccer official Marco Polo del Nero has lost his appeal at Switzerland's highest court trying to overturn a 20-year ban by FIFA for taking bribes worth millions of dollars.
The Swiss Federal Tribunal judgment dated March 4 dismissed Del Nero's appeal and ordered him to pay 18,000 Swiss francs ($19.200) in legal costs. The full verdict detailing the reasons for the decision will be published at a later date.
Del Nero's ban from all soccer expires in 2038, when he will turn 97. The FIFA ethics committee also fined him 1 million Swiss francs ($1.07 million).
Del Nero was a member of the FIFA executive committee in 2015 and head of the Brazilian soccer federation before being indicted by American federal prosecutors as part of a sprawling investigation.
He has not been extradited to face charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies linked to commercial deals for South American soccer competitions.
FIFA banned him for life in 2018 and the Court of Arbitration for Sport cut the ban on appeal to 20 years.
Del Nero challenged the CAS ruling at the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which overturns rulings only on limited grounds such as abuse of legal process.
He is the second former FIFA official from Brazil this year to lose an appeal in Switzerland. Ricardo Teixeira, who was also indicted in the American investigation, had his appeal dismissed against a life ban for bribery.
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