Ex-Safa president gets Fifa red card

Former SA Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani has been banned for five years by the Fifa ethics committee from all football-related activities

The ban is related to an investigation into international friendlies Bafana Bafana played on the eve of the 2010 World Cup.

A statement issued yesterday said the Fifa ethics committee found Nematandani guilty of violating the game's ethics.

''In this regard, Mr Nematandani was found guilty of having violated article 13 (general rules of conduct), article 15 (loyalty) and article 18 (duty of disclosure, co-operation and reporting) of the Fifa code of ethics and was sanctioned with a ban from taking part in any football-related activities for five years," the statement said.

A Fifa investigation found that a betting syndicate led by infamous Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his Football 4U organisation influenced the outcome of Bafana matches against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala.

Perumal and his syndicate organised match officials for these friendly matches.

The investigation, initiated in September last year, was conducted by Djimrabaye Bourngar, deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee. The final reports were passed to the adjudicatory chamber on 17 August.

The committee also handed life bans to former Zimbabwe Football Association official Jonathan Musavengana and former Togo coach Banna Tchanile.

''Furthermore, the adjudicatory chamber decided that Mr Musavengana and Mr Tchanile had both infringed article 13 and article 21 (bribery and corruption) of the Fifa code of ethics ... " the statement said.

TMG Digital