FIFA bans Botswana official for life for taking bribes

ZURICH— FIFA says its ethics judges have banned a soccer official from Botswana for life for taking bribes linked to convicted match-fixer Wilson Perumal.

FIFA says Mooketsi Kgotlele, the former general secretary of the Botswana Football Association, was also fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,100). It is unclear how FIFA can enforce fines on officials unable to return to the sport.

FIFA has previously also banned referees from Niger and Tanzania and federation officials from Zambia and Mozambique for links to Perumal, a notorious fixer from Singapore.

Perumal often provided referees for corrupt international games for betting scams. His schemes included fixing warmup games for South Africa before it hosted the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA did not specify which games or schemes the Botswana official took bribes for, but said his offenses were governed by the 2006 version of its ethics code.