KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Yet another high-ranking of the Oceania Football Confederation has been kicked out of the game by the ethics committee of world governing body FIFA.

The punishment of Tai Nicholas, former OFC general secretary, follows the decision by the ethics committee in March to impose a ban of six years and six months on former Oceania president David Chung.

Oceania is one of the six regional confederations of the world game along with Africa, Asia, Central and North America (CONCACAF), South America (CONMEBOL) and Europe (UEFA). This entitles Oceania to a place at the FIFA top table with one vice-president and two other members on the governing council.

Nicholas, who was also a senior member of FIFA committees, was found guilty of having misappropriated FIFA funds as well as having offered and accepted bribes.

The investigation into Nicholas concerned FIFA cash allocated to the OFC between 2014 and 2017 in relation to the OFC Home of Football, as well as to “various undue benefits accepted from or offered to several football officials and other individuals.”

This was also the issue which concerned Chung.

FIFA said: “In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Nicholas had breached  art. 21 par. 2 of the 2012 edition of the FIFA Code of Ethics, (Bribery and corruption) and art. 20 of the 2018 edition (Offering and accepting gifts or other benefits), and sanctioned him with a ban from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level for eight years. In addition, a fine of CHF 50,000 has been imposed.”

Chung and Nicholas were only the latest Oceania football leaders caught out.

Former OFC president Reynald Temarii from Tahiti was unseated after seeking illicit support from undercover newspaper reporters in the run-up to the scandal-scarred hosting votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in late 2010.

Later Temarii was banned for a further eight years for having accepted money from the then Asian confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam. The cash went towards Temarii’s legal expenses in both contesting the original ethics action and/or seeking, in vain, to allow his then-deputy Chung to vote in his place.

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