FIFA seeks ban for Qatar, Asian FC officials for refusing to cooperate with inquiry

Zurich: FIFA`s ethics commission on Friday called for a two-and-a-half-year ban against a top Qatar and Asian football official for refusing to cooperate with an inquiry.

The official, Saoud Al-Mohannadi, is an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) vice-president and had hoped to stand as an Asian candidate for the FIFA Council.

While it did not give details of the allegations against the Qatar Football Association vice-president, football`s governing body said it did not involve the attribution of the 2022 World Cup to the wealthy Gulf state.

"The investigation against Mr Al-Mohannadi concerned his failure to properly cooperate and provide truthful information to the investigatory chamber," said an ethics commission statement.

It added that the action was "in the framework of another investigation not related to the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup."

The recommendation by the ethics commission`s investigators will be decided by the commission`s investigatory chamber.

Al-Mohannadi has been reported to be one of four candidates for two Asian spots on FIFA`s ruling council. The election is to be held at an AFC congress in the Indian city of Go on September 27.

He is also head of the organising committee for the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.