By Stanley Ugagbe
World football body, FIFA has suspended the president of Haiti’s football federation for 90 days pending an investigation into allegations he sexually abused teenage girls at the national training centre.
In a statement obtained by the Nigerian Canadian News, FIFA said “In accordance with articles 84 and 85 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, the investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has provisionally banned Mr Yves Jean-Bart, President of the Haitian Football Federation, from all football-related activities at both national and international level, for a period of 90 days”.
“This sanction has been imposed in connection with the ongoing investigations concerning Mr. Jean-Bart. Mr. Jean-Bart was notified of the decision today. The provisional sanction comes into force immediately”.
Reports have it that Yves Jean-Bart, 73, categorically denies accusations that he raped several young female footballers at a training facility outside Port-au-Prince over the course of the past five years.
According to reports, Haitian police have launched a probe into the allegations and a judge has already summoned several federation employees to answer questions. Recall that the allegations were first revealed late last month
We gathered that in an article published by The Guardian in late April, quoted young women saying Jean-Bart raped multiple underage players over the years.
The alleged victims told the newspaper on condition of anonymity that at least two underage players had to get abortions after Jean-Bart assaulted them but were pressured to remain silent
Reacting to the development, Marie-Rosy Auguste Ducena of the National Network for the Defence of Human Rights said “We think that this is a good decision by FIFA because we realized that Yves Jean-Bart and his cartel can overshadow any judicial investigation”.
While noting that “rumours of sexual bargains for football benefits have been circulating in the country for a long time,” Ducena criticized the code of silence which she says hangs over the sports industry.
Official records have it that Jean-Bart has led the country’s football federation for two decades. He was re-election in February for a sixth term in an election he ran unopposed.
