FIFA bans African official for bribes linked to match-fixing

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA has banned another African soccer official for taking bribes to help match-fixer Wilson Perumal.

FIFA says former Sierra Leone federation official Abu Bakarr Kabba has been banned for five years and fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,400).

In a swathe of recent cases linked to the Singaporean match-fixer, FIFA also banned referees from Niger and Tanzania plus federation officials from Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana.

Perumal profited from betting scams after often providing referees for international friendlies he helped to organize. His schemes included fixing warmup games for South Africa before it hosted the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA did not specify which games Kabba took bribes for, though his offenses were judged using the 2009 version of its ethics code.