FIFA suspends former DR Congo's council member Constant Omari

The former interim president of DR Congo's Confederation of African Football (CAF) Constant Omari was on Thursday banned from all football-related activities for the next 12 months by FIFA's independent ethics committee.

This is the culmination of a lengthy investigation into the terms of a revised television contract signed in 2016 between CAF and the French marketing company Lagardère Sports.

The revelations of the New York Times last November had prompted FIFA to open a formal procedure on January 7.

Constant Omari, then vice-president of CAF, had been tasked by Ahmad Ahmad, then president of the continental body, to lead the negotiations. 

FIFA considered that the work of the Congolese would have resulted in "new contractual arrangements extremely detrimental to the confederation, which had recorded considerable financial losses. 

FIFA later ruled out that conflict of interest played part in preventing Mr. Omari from carrying out his mission vis-à-vis CAF's integrity, independence, and determination."

Constant Omari resigned last week as president of Fecofa, the Congolese soccer federation, with six months to go before the end of his term. 

Omari was banned in March from standing for re-election to the FIFA Council due to the ongoing investigation.