KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2019) The world football's governing body, FIFA, said on Saturday that it banned Keramuudin Karim, a former president of the Afghanistan Football Federation, from all football-related activities, including those administrative, for life after finding him guilty of sexually abusing several female players.
Several female footballers earlier accused Karim of sexual harassment, one of them is Khalida Popal, who currently lives abroad. Back in December, the Afghan Attorney General's Office launched an investigation into sexual harassment claims. The probe has not been completed yet as its prosecutors have been sent to European countries to further investigate the claims.
"The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found Mr Keramuudin Karim, former President of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) and former FIFA Standing Committee member, guilty of having abused his position and sexually abused various female players, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics," FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA noted that it would sanction Karim with a "life ban from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level" and fine him 1 million Swiss francs (over $1 million).
According to the football association, the probe into Karim was looking into the "complaints lodged by at least five Afghan female football players, accusing him of repeated sexual abuse in the period 2013 - 2018."
Karim has rejected the claims, calling them a conspiracy against him.
