ZURICH/MIAMI: FIFA has suspended an employee arrested on charges of enticement of a minor for sex while on a work trip in Miami.

A report in the Miami Herald stated that Jack Edward Coles had been detained last Friday by Homeland Security agents at a hotel near FIFA’s offices in the Coral Gables suburb.

Coles, 39, who is British, is alleged to have met a 14-year-old boy through a men’s dating app last October and allegedly tried to meet with him again last week. The boy reportedly told the FIFA staffer he was 16 and was later in contact with federal investigators.

A FIFA statement reported by AP said: “FIFA is aware of ongoing legal proceedings in Miami. The alleged offenses are serious and of a personal matter with no link to his work at FIFA.

“The individual has been suspended with immediate effect and until further notice from all duties. FIFA has no further comment at this stage.”

Coles is a project leader with FIFA Sound, the department that organizes music for the world football body’s events and broadcasts.

FIFA opened a United States base in Coral Gables in 2023 ahead of two major tournaments being hosted in the country. It also moved its legal department there from its headquarters in Zurich.

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