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Ex FIFA boss Blatter faces fresh inquiry

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is the target of a criminal investigation in Switzerland for suspected mismanagement of a $1 million payment from football funds.

Blatter has been notified by Swiss federal prosecutors he is an “accused person” over a loan FIFA gave in 2010 to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, according to a document seen by The Associated Press.

Blatter, 84, has denied any wrongdoing during decades of financial scandals linked to football’s world governing body, though he was banned from the presidency and risks being brought to trial in his home country.

The payment now publicly revealed came from a FIFA account on April 13, 2010, and was interest-free, unsecured and later waived as a kind of gift, the document detailed.

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It is the latest allegation in Swiss and American federal investigations tying FIFA to irregular payments benefiting Jack Warner, its former vice president from Trinidad who is fighting extradition to the United States.

Warner long controlled a key bloc in FIFA elections until he left football after being implicated in bribing voters to oppose Blatter in 2011. He was also an elected lawmaker in the Caribbean nation and became a government minister after a general election held in May 2010.

Two former senior FIFA officials — Jerome Valcke as Secretary General and Markus Kattner as Finance Director — are also named as accused persons.

The Swiss federal prosecution office said in a statement on Saturday that criminal proceedings against Blatter were extended last month to include Valcke and Kattner. The office said both men, who were fired by FIFA in 2016, have the presumption of innocence.

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The investigation document is dated May 13, 2020 — several weeks after the office said it was closing one of two criminal proceedings opened against Blatter five years earlier.

The allegation to be dropped was that Blatter mismanaged a World Cup broadcast deal for the Caribbean that let Warner personally profit by millions of dollars.

That prosecution decision revealed in April suggested Blatter could be cleared by Swiss justice after years under suspicion and while serving a six-year ban by FIFA’s ethics committee. It expires in October 2021.

A Swiss criminal proceeding has also been open against Blatter since September 2015 related to FIFA payments to former UEFA president Michel Platini. That allegation led to FIFA’s ethics committee banning both men from football. –AP

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WAFU B U20: Ghana’s Jerry Afriyie crowned MVP in semi-final win over Cote D’voire

Ghana U20 striker Jerry Afriyie was crowned Man of the Match in the side’s come back 2-1 win over Cote D’voire in the WAFU B U20 Semi-final on Sunday October 27, 2024 in Togo.

The talented striker, who is the leading top scorer with four goals, scored a magnificent spot kick to complete the comeback win for the Black Satellites at the Stade Municipal.

The Black Satellites will be making a return to the AFCON Championship next year after winning the title in 2021 under Abdul Karim Zito.

It was an incredible finish to an afternoon that began badly for Ghana as Konan Loukou gave the Ivorians an early lead before the Ghanaians pulled parity from a deflected corner kick to end the first half, before Jerry Afriyie sealed victory from the spot kick.

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The win ensured the Black Satellites qualification to the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The WAFU B U20 Championship serves as the qualification for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with only the finalists going through.

This 2025 U20 AFCON will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, where the four semi-finalists will qualify automatically.

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Ghana to face rivals Nigeria in epic 2024 WAFU B U20 Final

Ghana and Nigeria will face off in the WAFU B U20 Final after the two West African giants dispatched their respective semi-final opponents in Togo on Sunday October 27, 2024.

The Black Satellites produced a sensational comeback 2-1 win over Cote D’voire in the first semi-final at the Stade Municipal before Nigeria also rallied from behind to beat Niger 3-1 in the second semi-final match.

Ghana and Nigeria will renew their long-standing rivalry in Wednesday’s Final at the Stade de Kégué.

Desmond Ofei’s side will be hoping to go one step further by reclaiming the sub-regional title from defending champions Nigeria.

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The WAFU B U20 Championship serves as the qualification for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with only Ghana and Nigeria going through.

This 2025 U20 AFCON will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, where the four semi-finalists will qualify automatically.

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