6 months ago
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Days aft Panama qualified for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA banned the country's shot federation president for failing to respect a erstwhile prohibition imposed for fat-shaming a women's nationalist squad star.
FIFA said Manuel Arias was “banned from each football-related enactment for six months,” which volition expire astir 4 weeks earlier the World Cup kicks disconnected successful the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Arias was barred from attending the World Cup gully connected December 5 successful Washington, D.C., which U.S. President Donald Trump is owed to attend.
FIFA said its disciplinary judges besides imposed a good of 20,000 Swiss francs ($25,000) connected the Panamanian authoritative for not complying with its morals committee's erstwhile ruling that banned him for six months into July. No details were fixed of however helium breached the ban.
Arias suggested Marta Cox was “fat” aft she made captious comments astir the setup astatine the nationalist team, which qualified for the 2023 Women's World Cup.
He acknowledged his “unfortunate” comments successful March 2024.
During his archetypal six-month ban, Arias should person been excluded from 2 World Cup qualifying games successful June and the Gold Cup successful the United States that ran into July.
Arias tin entreaty the latest FIFA sanctions.
Panama earned its spot astatine the men's World Cup by beating El Salvador 3-0 connected Tuesday, portion erstwhile radical person Suriname mislaid successful Guatemala 3-1.
