FIFA has banned Marco Trovato, the president of Paraguayan club Olimpia, for life for his role in fixing matches in 2018 and 2019, the football body announced on Monday.
Trovato, who was also found guilty of failing to cooperate with FIFA’s investigators, was ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs, it added while announcing its disciplinary committee’s decision.
It is unclear which matches Trovato had helped to fix. FIFA said the decision was related to “a series of matches that took place between 2018 and 2019”, but did not reveal how the 41-year-old had manipulated the games. The football body did not publish a detailed verdict in the matter.
As per reports, the investigation involved Paraguayan league games in seasons when Olimpia won the title. Olimpia has won the South American Copa Libertadores three times and the Paraguayan championship on a record 44 occasions.
However, Trovato said that the decision taken by FIFA was political in nature, with no legal basis.
“They didn’t take into account any of the evidence that we presented,” he said in a video conference. Trovato has held the position as Olimpia’s president since 2014.
He added that the club would not be affected on the pitch.
Trovato can challenge the sanction, and his lawyer have said that they would appeal the decision and take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
(With inputs from agencies)
