Following accusations of systemic sexual abuse of female players, Haiti’s football president, Yves Jean-Bart, was banned from the sport for life on Friday.
Jean-Bart was found guilty of “having abused his position and sexually harassed and abused various female players, including minors, by a FIFA ethics committee.
Jean-Bart, who was also fined one million Swiss francs (US$1.1 million), has denied the allegations, which involved national team players.
The accusation was first brought to light by British newspaper, The Guardian, in April.
The country’s national training center funded by FIFA named Croix-des-Bouquets, where the abuse is said to have happened, was also known as “The Ranch”.
Jean-Bart wielded huge power with high level connections into government, political legal systems as the head of Haitian football since 2000, Human Rights Watch said.
The players affected have complained of being intimidated and threatened and Haitian state authorities have been urged by advocacy groups to investigate the claims.
