体坛英语新闻：FIFA hands former Zambia soccer chief two-year ban

LUSAKA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- FIFA, the world soccer body, on Friday announced that it has banned former president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), Kalusha Bwalya, from all football-related activities for two years.

In a statement posted on its website, FIFA said its Adjudicatory Chamber of the Independent Ethics Committee found Zambia's celebrated soccer icon guilty of having received financial gratification from Bin Hamman.

The 1988 African footballer of the year is believed to have pocketed a bribe from Hamman, who was vying for presidency of the soccer body at the 2011 FIFA congress.

According to the statement, Bwalya, who is also a member of the executve committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), will not be allowed to involve himself in any football-related activities at both national and international level for two years with immediate effect.

The investigations against Bwalya was opened on Feb. 28, 2017, and focused principally on benefits that Mr Bwalya had received from Mr Bin Hamman, the statement added.

According to the statement, the adjudicatory chamber found Bwalya guilty of having violated article 16 and article 20 of the FIFA Code of Ethics and accepting gifts and other benefits.

Bwalya served as FAZ president from 2008 to 2016.