FIFA bans former World Cup evaluation committee head

Zurich, July 7: FIFA has handed a seven-year ban to its former head of the bid evaluation committee for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for “confidentiality” breaches. Football’s world governing body on Monday banned Harold Mayne-Nicholls, 54, “from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at tiol and intertiol level for a period of seven years”, according to a statement. No details were revealed as FIFA said the suspension came after a breach of a confidentiality rule in FIFA’s code of ethics. Mayne-Nicholls, a former Chilean football association president, wrote the report that gave Qatar the worst ranking of the candidates for the 2022 World Cup which the wealthy Gulf state went on to win. Mayne-Nicholls confirmed he would appeal the suspension. IANS