Haitian football boss has life ban annulled by sports court

Lausanne, Feb 14, 2023 (AFP) - Haitian football federation president Yves Jean-Bart has had his life ban imposed by FIFA as a result of sexual abuse accusations overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, it announced on Tuesday.

Jean-Bart was fined one million Swiss francs ($1.1 million, 925,000 euros) and banned for life in November 2020 after a FIFA ethics committee investigated allegations from over 30 witnesses.

The investigation followed an article in British newspaper the Guardian which alleged Jean-Bart had coerced several female players at the country's national technical centre to have sexual relations with him.

The Haitian justice system cleared Jean-Bart, who is now 75.

He claimed the FIFA ruling was "a travesty of justice and a purely political move".

The Panel of Arbitrators of Lausanne-based CAS, sport's top court, ruled unanimously to overturn that ruling in an appeal hearing, noting inconsistencies and inaccuracies.

"The Panel of Arbitrators considers that the evidence against Yves Jean-Bart regarding the allegations of sexual abuse is inconsistent, unclear and contradictory," it said in a statement.

"The Panel therefore decides to uphold the appeal and to annul the sanctions set out in the Challenged Decision," it added.

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