FIFA has officially banned two former football federation presidents and their finance officials from the sport following an independent ethics investigation into severe financial misconduct.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the global governing body handed down lifetime bans to Vincent Cassell, former president of the Montserrat Football Association, and Bassam Adeel Jaleel, former president of the Football Association of Maldives.

Adjudicators found both men guilty of misusing federation and international development funds for personal gain, imposing significant financial penalties alongside their sporting expulsions

The adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s independent ethics committee sanctioned Cassell for abuse of position, systemic conflicts of interest, and the misuse of FIFA and regional federation funds. He was fined one million Swiss 

The institutional crisis under his tenure eventually forced FIFA to install an emergency management team to govern Montserrat football in February 2026.

The investigation also penalized Montserrat’s former general secretary, Tandica Hughes, who received a 15-year ban from all football activities and a 150,000 Swiss franc