By Andrew Warshaw
Nov 11 – Oceania has been hit with a new footballing scandal after Fifa banned the former head the New Caledonia football federation Edmond Bowen for three years for dishonesty when filling out an integrity questionnaire.
Bowen has been barred because “did not fill out the mandatory declaration of integrity truthfully” when bidding to become a member of Fifa’s disciplinary committee and had therefore breached “general rules of conduct”.
The case will heap embarrassment on Fifa’s smallest confederation. New Caledonia is a island with about 250,000 residents and media in the Pacific have previously reported that in 2010, Bowen received a one-year prison sentence and was involved in bankruptcy proceedings. The following year he was allowed to stand for his federation’s presidency.
FIFA announced Bowen’s ban via a statement on its website, saying he is barred “from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a period of three years.”
Gordon Glen Watson, the OFC’s head of communications, said the Oceania Football Confederation supported FIFA’s decision and welcomed transparency but would make no further comment.
“If there’s been any issue there that has had to result in his banning then we trust that process,” he was quoted as saying.
“That’s why the process is there, if there’s wrongdoing then our position is of course, these things have to be dealt with in an open and transparent manner,” he said in a statement.
Co-incidentally, almost exactly four years ago to the day, former OFC chief and FIFA executive committee member Reynald Temarii was banned by FIFA after being caught up in an undercover newspaper sting surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup ballot.
Bowen was put forward by his confederation as a member of Fifa’s disciplinary committee at last year’s congress in Mauritius. FIFA said it took the “exceptional” step of publishing the ban on its website because Bowen had not responded to ethics committee adjudicatory chamber chairman Joachim Eckert.
Fifa said it couldn’t reach Bowen via his last known postal address, and that he didn’t respond to e-mails but gave no details about what he allegedly lied about on the form in question.
Bowen is the second official to be sanctioned by FIFA this month. On Nov. 4 Ganesh Thapa, the president of the All Nepal Football Association, was banned for 120 days over allegations of misconduct.