FIFA executive Harold Mayne-Nicholls to appeal against seven-year ban

FIFA executive Harold Mayne-Nicholls has confirmed that he will appeal against a seven-year ban from football after he was accused of asking for favours from Qatar during the World Cup bidding process.

The ex-Chilean Football Association president was in charge of the inspection team that assessed bids for the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar, which was rated as a high-risk option due to the hot temperatures, won the bid, but the allocation is currently being investigated by the Swiss authorities over allegations of corruption.

The world governing body's chief ethics investigator Cornel Borbely said in an email that Mayne-Nicholls allegedly asked for "personal favours", including unpaid internships for family members, before completing his evaluation report of Qatar's bid.

In response to the lengthy ban, Mayne-Nicholls tweeted: "I'm surprised FIFA have advertised a sanction that has pending appeals, and may be overridden by higher judicial bodies. I will appeal to the higher courts established in FIFA statutes and TAS/CAS."

In May, seven football officials were arrested in Zurich on allegations of bribery.