October 02, (THEWILL) – Concerned by the details that were emerging from the scandal that has followed allegations of sexual coercion against former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley, world football governing body confirmed on Friday “that FIFA’s judicial bodies are actively looking into the matter and have opened a preliminary investigation.”
In a statement published on the FIFA website on Friday, the body noted how seriously it treats allegations of misconduct after admitting to be “deeply concerned” with severity of the North Carolina case. The statement read:
“FIFA is deeply concerned by the recent reports in the US made by several players. Due to the severity and seriousness of the allegations being made by players, we can confirm that FIFA’s judicial bodies are actively looking into the matter and have opened a preliminary investigation.
“As part of this, FIFA will be reaching out to the respective parties, including US Soccer and NWSL, for further information about the various safeguarding concerns and allegations of abuse that have been raised.
“When it comes to misconduct in football, we would like to reiterate that FIFA’s position is clear: anyone found guilty of misconduct and abuse in football shall be brought to justice, sanctioned and removed from the game.
“FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct reported to it extremely seriously and will continue to cooperate together with the relevant national and international authorities on any allegation or report that is made in confidence to FIFA about abuse or misconduct in football.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
