The FIFA Appeal Committee has taken the following decisions on the respective appeals lodged by Harold Mayne-Nicholls and Ganesh Thapa.

The FIFA Appeal Committee has partially confirmed the decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee concerning Mr Mayne-Nicholls on 3 July 2015, reducing his ban from all football-related activities to three years and confirming the fine of CHF 20,000.

Mr Mayne-Nicholls was found guilty by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee of infringing articles 13 (General rules of conduct), 15 (Loyalty), 19 (Conflicts of interest) and 20 (Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits) of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE).

While agreeing with the principles and arguments presented by the adjudicatory chamber, the Appeal Committee deemed that the sanction imposed was not proportionate to the breaches committed. The ban imposed on Mr Mayne-Nicholls entered into force on 3 July 2015.

The FIFA Appeal Committee has rejected the appeal lodged by Mr Thapa in full and partially confirmed the decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber on 9 November 2015 to suspend him from all football-related activities for a period of ten years and impose a fine of CHF 20,000.

Mr Thapa was found guilty by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee of infringing articles 13, 15, 18 (Duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting), 19, 20 and 21 (Bribery and corruption) of the FCE.

In a spirit of good faith and in line with the principle established by article 85 paragraph 2 of the FCE, the period of 210 days during which Mr Thapa refrained from taking part in any football-related activity during the ethics proceedings was taken into account in the enforcement of the sanction. Consequently, the FIFA Appeal Committee has decided that the aforementioned ban imposed on Mr Thapa retroactively entered into force on 16 April 2015.