LAUSANNE: Former FIFA heavyweight Vernon Manilal Fernando saw his days in the sport ended definitively on Monday as he lost his appeal to The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have a life ban overturned.

The 65-year-old — a former member of the elite FIFA Executive Committee — received the life ban from FIFA in October 2013 after he had appealed to them over an original eight year ban.

On Monday he saw a second appeal end in similar disastrous fashion as CAS rubber-stamped FIFA’s decision.

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by Vernon Manilal Fernando from Sri Lanka, former FIFA Executive Committee member,” read the CAS judgement.

“As a consequence, the decision rendered on 9 October 2013 by the FIFA Appeals Committee, which bans Manilal Fernando from taking part in any football-related activity for life, from 11 March 2013, is confirmed.

“The dispute is related to the election at the 2009 AFC Congress, for one of the AFC seats on the FIFA Executive Committee.

“In September 2012, during an inquiry conducted by the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee concerning allegations of corruption against Mohamed Bin Hammam, not related to the 2009 AFC election, Mr Manilal Fernando was suspected of having violated the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE).

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2015

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