FIFA has made CONCACAF acting president Lisle Austin’s ban worldwide, the governing body said yesterday. The 74-year-old Austin, who was deputising for suspended Jack Warner, was provisionally banned from the federation on Saturday for allegedly violating rules. But FIFA said that ban had been extended to global. “We can confirm that FIFA has today notified CONCACAF that the FIFA disciplinary committee has extended the provisional suspension of Lisle Austin at a worldwide level,” the body said in an e-mail to Reuters.
Warner, along with Asian Football Confederation chairman Mohamed Bin Hammam, were both suspended after allegations of bribery. CONCACAF are yet to explain the decision to suspend Austin, citing ‘apparent infringement’. FIFA will not explain their decision either, only pointing to CONCACAF as the body who made the initial ban. But Austin’s spokesman Ryan Toohey said he knew nothing of FIFA’s latest decision. “Mr Austin has not been notified of any action by FIFA regarding any suspension. There is no existing suspension so there is nothing to extend,” he said.
Before FIFA’s statement, Austin said he was the victim and he planned to continue in his role as acting president. “These actions and additional statements questioning my leadership are being engineered by a faction of CONCACAF attempting to unlawfully seize control,” he said.
