Afghanistan football president banned amid abuse allegations

Katie Whyatt
Updated
Fifa are investigating allegations of physical, mental and sexual abuse of footballers on the Afghan women’s national team - REUTERS
Fifa are investigating allegations of physical, mental and sexual abuse of footballers on the Afghan women’s national team - REUTERS

Keramuudin Karim, Afghanistan Football Federation president, has been provisionally banned from “all football-related activities at both national and international level”, Fifa announced on Wednesday.

Karim is one of the men accused of the physical, mental and sexual abuse of footballers on the Afghan women’s national team, allegations that are now being investigated by Fifa.

On Sunday the Afghanistan attorney general, Farid Hamidi, suspended six members of the Afghanistan Football Federation after reviewing the allegations.

Now the investigatory chamber at Fifa’s Independent Ethics Committee has provisionally sanctioned Karim in accordance with article 84 of the Fifa Code of Ethics, which states that at any time during an investigation, provisional sanctions may be applied “in order to ensure that investigation proceedings are not interfered with or when a breach of this Code appears to have been committed and a decision on the merits of the case may not be taken early enough”.

The measure expires in 90 days but may be extended.

Karim, who was informed of the sanction on Wednesday morning, has the next five days to lodge an appeal, in response to which the chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber may decide to grant the appeal immediately or meet with Karim or his representatives to discuss it further.

Fifa said in a statement: “This sanction has been imposed in connection with ongoing investigations concerning AFF officials, as reported by local authorities and published by some media.

"The provisional sanction comes into force immediately.”