Geneva: Kenyan referee Aden Range Marwa has resigned from his World Cup duty said he would not go to Russia after being caught taking a USD 600 cash payment in an undercover television sting, FIFA informed Thursday.
FIFA said it passed details of Marwa’s case and others linked to misconduct in a Ghanaian journalist’s documentary to its investigatory and judicial bodies to follow up.
The Kenyan official, who was approved by FIFA for international games since 2008, was filmed taking the cash at an African continental tournament in footage in released Thursday by BBC Africa. FIFA’s code of ethics prohibits officials taking cash gifts.
The investigation was led by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and also implicated Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi, an elected member of FIFA’s ruling council, in taking cash gifts.
Marwa is the second World Cup match official implicated in corruption among more than 100 referees and assistants trained by FIFA for more than two years, and selected in recent weeks. The Saudi Arabian soccer federation also banned referee Fahad Al Mirdasi for life after allegedly seeking a bribe to help a team win the national cup final. Marwa and Al Mirdasi both worked at the 2017 Confederations Cup warmup tournament in Russia.
Marwa was also taken by FIFA to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as a reserve match official. Earlier in 2016 another Ghanian referee, Joseph Lamptey, was banned for life by FIFA for corruptly awarding a penalty in a World Cup qualifying game in a betting scam. FIFA said yesterday it would impose ‘severe sanctions’ when the integrity of competitions is compromised.