Nepal football chief banned

Zurich: Fifa on Monday banned Nepal’s football chief for 10 years and the president of the Laos federation for two years for bribery. The decade-long sanction against Ganesh Thapa, president of the All-Nepal Football Association, was a new blow to the country’s football image after several national players were accused of match-fixing.

Thapa stood down as a football chief one year ago amid an investigation into accusations that he embezzled millions of dollars during his 19-year tenure. Thapa “committed various acts of misconduct over several years, including the solicitation and acceptance of cash payments from another football official, for both personal and family gain,” said a Fifa statement without giving details.