FIFA bans Temarii for eight years

Former FIFA executive committee member Reynald Temarii has been banned from all football-related activity at national and international level for eight years for accepting a substantial payment from Mohamed bin Hammam.

The adjudicatory chamber of the independent FIFA Ethics Committee ruled that Temarii, the general director of the Tahiti Football Association, took a sum of €305,640 from then FIFA Executive Committee member and AFC President bin Hammam in January 2011.

FIFA stated on Wednesday that Temarii was given the money to cover legal costs to challenge a one-year ban imposed over allegations he requested money in exchange for World Cup votes.

Bin Hamman was banned for life by FIFA in December 2012 after he had resigned from all positions in football due to repeated violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

The world governing body said in a statement on Wednesday: "The adjudicatory chamber of the independent FIFA Ethics Committee, chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert, has decided to ban Reynald Temarii, General Director of the Tahiti Football Association, from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of eight years.

"The decision was taken following a hearing in the presence of the accused and the chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, Dr Cornel Borbély.

"The adjudicatory chamber has determined that Mr Temarii's conduct violated FIFA Code of Ethics articles 13 (General rules of conduct), 15 (Loyalty), 16 (Confidentiality), 19 (Conflicts of interest) and 20 (Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits) by accepting an amount of EUR 305,640 from Mr Mohamed bin Hammam, who was then a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and the AFC President, to cover the costs of his legal expenses in the context of an appeal against the previous ban imposed by the FIFA Ethics Committee on 17 November 2010. Mr Temarii received the money in January 2011 following a meeting with Mr Bin Hammam in November 2010 in Kuala Lumpur.

"The ban is effective as from 13 May 2015, the date on which the present decision was notified."