FIFA has announced a worldwide extension on bans issued to 74 players and officials found guilty of involvement in match-fixing.
The disciplinary committee of football’s world governing body applied the sanction to 70 individuals embroiled in match-fixing in Italy and a further four from South Korea.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Korean Football Association (KFA) were responsible for the initial enforcement of the suspensions at a national level, with FIFA’s announcement ensuring that all active bans now are now enforceable globally.
FIFA confirmed they had been presented with evidence from four investigations by the FIGC pertaining to “match fixing (direct involvement or omission to report match fixing), illegal betting or corrupt organisation (association to commit illicit acts)”.
They added that 11 of the individuals in question were subject to life bans.
The four individuals found guilty of match-fixing by the KFA were sanctioned with life bans during separate hearings in 2011 and 2012 before the evidence was put before FIFA for consideration.
These latest sanctions mark the third time FIFA has extended the jurisdiction on bans relating to match-fixing in Korea, following on from 41 cases last month and 10 in June last year.
The announcement comes a day after FIFA applied worldwide sanctions on 58 players and officials in China for domestic match-fixing and bribery for cases dating back to the 1990s.