Haiti's football boss suspended by Fifa over sexual abuse claims

ZURICH, May 26 ― Fifa have provisionally suspended Haiti’s football federation president Yves Jean-Bart for 90 days while investigations are carried out into claims that he sexually abused young female footballers at the country's national training centre.

“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 (FHF), from all football-related activities at both national and international level, for a period of 90 days,” Fifa said in a statement yesterday.

“This sanction has been imposed in connection with ongoing investigations concerning Mr Jean-Bart.

“Mr Jean-Bart was notified of the decision today. The provisional sanction comes into force immediately.”

Jean-Bart denied allegations that he coerced several players at the association’s training centre in Croix-des-Bouquets into having sex in incidents going back five years, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported last month. The centre was build with a Fifa grant.

Multiple allegations were made against him by alleged victims, their friends and family members, detailing how he coerced girls into sex by threatening they would lose their places in national team programmes.

Denying the accusations, he told the Guardian there was “clearly a manoeuvre to destabilise the FHF, the character of the president and his family.” ― Reuters