Tanzanian referee banned for life by FIFA for taking bribes

One of Tanzania’s top referees has been handed a life ban from football after FIFA found him guilty of taking bribes. The case, opened in July 2018, was handled by FIFA’s Ethics Committee which ruled Oden Charles Mbaga had breached the FIFA Code of Ethics. FIFA told Reuters news agency that the ban relates to bribes “to manipulate several national and international matches between 2009 – 2012” with no further details of the games given. Mbaga has also been fined $200,000. Mbaga has been banned for life from all football-related activities, not just refereeing, at national and international level. Last month, former international referee Ibrahim Chaibou from Niger was also banned for life and fined $200,000 after being found guilty of taking bribes by FIFA.