By Brian Bariyo Tumuramye
Zurich: The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) has slapped former Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) President Jamal Malinzi with a 10-year ban, for mismanaging “a significant amount” of money from the governing body from all football-related activities, after being found guilty of misappropriating FIFA funds.
Malinzi is currently in remand prison facing charges of money laundering during his time at the helm of the Tanzanian football federation.
According to the Associated Press, Malinzi received USD528,000 over four years to repay alleged loans he had acquired that ‘lacked proper justification or explanation’.
FIFA also said that the official received USD55,000 in prize money earned by Tanzania’s under-17 team at the African youth championship in 2017 in Gabon.
During that time FIFA said, Malinzi was a member of its development committee — allocating project funds worldwide — and its fair play and social responsibility committee from 2013-17 when he was taking money.
Malinzi has also been fined 500,000 Swiss Francs by soccer’s governing body.
However, it is not clear when the ban takes effect.
The full statement from FIFA on its website reads thus;
“The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has found Mr Jamal Emil Malinzi, a former President of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) and a former FIFA standing committee member, guilty of having misappropriated FIFA funds and falsified an official document, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
“The investigation into Mr Malinzi was related to the misappropriation of FIFA Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) funds, as well as other CAF and TFF funds, in the period between 2013 and 2017, and the forgery of a TFF Executive Committee resolution.
“In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Malinzi had breached articles 24 (Forgery and falsification) and 28 (Misappropriation of funds) of the 2018 edition of the FIFA Code of Ethics and, as a result, sanctioned him with a ten‑year ban from all football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level. In addition, a fine in the amount of CHF 500,000 has been imposed on Mr Malinzi.
