FIFA ban Costa Rican for life

April 21, 2017 6:34 PM

Li had been the head of the Costa Rican federation from 2007 until his arrest in Zurich in May of 2015 by Swiss police.

After pleading guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges, former president of the Costa Rican Football Federation Eduardo Li (C) leaves the Court of the Eastern District of New York on October 7, 2016

Disgraced former Costa Rican football chief Eduardo Li was on Friday banned from football for life over bribery and corruption.

The ban was handed down by FIFA's independent ethics committee and triggered by Li's guilty plea to racketeering in the United States as part of the Justice Department's massive investigation into fraud across world football.

Li had been the head of the Costa Rican federation from 2007 until his arrest in Zurich in May of 2015 by Swiss police acting on a US warrant.

The adjudicatory chamber of FIFA's ethics watchdog chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert said Li had broken a series of FIFA's rules governing bribery and corruption, and conflict of interest.

"As a consequence the official is banned for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level," a statement announced.

At a New York federal court in October, Li admitted to extortion and fraud after taking more than $500,000 (473,000 euros) in illicit payments for steering match marketing rights to a private firm.