FIFA bans Haiti women’s soccer official in sexual abuse case

<p>ZURICH &mdash; A soccer official in Haiti was banned for 10 years on Monday for her part in the systematic sexual abuse of women’s national team players.</p>
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<a href="https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/adjudicatory-chamber-of-the-independent-ethics-committee-sanctions-ms-nella-jose">FIFA ethics judges ruled</a> Nella Joseph, former supervisor of the Haiti Under-20 women’s team, was guilty of “actively coercing and threatening (players) into engaging in sexual relationships” with the then-president of the Haitian Football Association.</p>
<p>FIFA expelled the long-time <a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-soccer-womens-soccer-jean-haiti-soccer-3142405f600ad63a876e19b6e28d7f33#:~:text=The%20FIFA%20ethics%20committee%20said,soccer%20for%20life%20in%20November.">former Haitian FA president, Yves Jean-Bart</a>, from soccer for life last year.</p>
<p>A FIFA judgment in Jean-Bart’s case said he raped girls as young as 14 and took “habitual mistresses” among players starting in 2014.</p>
<p>Joseph “failed to protect the physical and mental integrity of various female players who were under her authority and responsibility” at the national training center in Haiti, FIFA said in a statement.</p>
<p>She was also fined 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000).</p>
<p>FIFA said its ethics committee is working on other cases pending against Haitian soccer officials.</p>
<p>The allegations were first revealed in British newspaper The Guardian in April 2020.</p>
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