This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
On October 11, 2019, FIFA took a significant step towards addressing the issue of sexual abuse in football by banning Sayed Aghazada, a former general secretary of the Afghanistan Football Federation, for five years.
The ban was imposed for Aghazada's failure to report and prevent former federation president Keramuudin Karim from carrying out repeated acts of sexual assault between 2013 and 2018.
According to FIFA's Independent Ethics Committee, Aghazada was aware of the abuse and had a duty to report and prevent it, as per the FIFA Code of Ethics.
As a result of the ban, Aghazada was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,000).
FIFA's statement also mentioned that the Ethics Committee is still investigating allegations against other individuals in connection with the same case.
Aghazada's suspension has significant implications, as he was also a member of the Asian Football Confederation's executive committee.
The AFC has noted FIFA's ruling and will wait until the decision is final and binding before making any further comment.
