'AHONGALU Fusimalohi the head of Tonga's Football Federation, is among six FIFA officers who have been suspended from taking part in any football related activity (administrative, sports or any other) by the FIFA's Ethics Committee, from October 20, 2010.

The Committee, under the chairmanship of Claudio Sulser, announced the suspension of two FIFA Executive Committee members, Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii, and four other officials - Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, 'Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee, relating to an alleged breach of the FIFA Statutes, the FIFA Code of Ethics and the FIFA Disciplinary Code linked to the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

The FIFA website stated that the provisional suspensions of the four officials and the two executive members "was required while the investigation continues, taking into account the gravity of the case and the likelihood that a breach of the FIFA Statutes, the FIFA Code of Ethics and the FIFA Disciplinary Code has been committed."

The Ethics Committee will meet again in mid-November 2010 in order to take a final decision on the matter after gathering more information and evidence on the six cases.

"The decision to provisionally suspend these officials is fully justified and should not be put in question. The evidence that has been presented to us today has led us to take this provisional measure, as we considered that the conditions were definitely met to take this decision and we deem that it is crucial to protect the integrity of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process. We are determined to have zero tolerance for any breach of the Code of Ethics," said Claudio Sulser.

Reports

Media reports of the suspensions stated that 'Ahongalu Fusimalohi was approached by the Times undercover reporters posing as Cup lobbyists for an American bid. In video footage on the newspaper's website, he is featured discussing the shady dealings of the World Cup bidding process and claiming England's bid had been hindered by not offering bribes like some other bidders.

Last week, Fusimalohi admitted the meeting had taken place in an Auckland hotel four weeks earlier but he thought that the reporters were fake lobbyists. He said he played along with them, discussing receiving a US$100,000 (NZ$133,330) board membership to support one country's bidders, in an attempt to discover what they were up to.

His response to the allegations was, "No, no I don't regret anything, it's absolute nonsense what these people did, and I don't know what the $100,000 is all about. When they did contact me I told them, I lied to them because I wanted to find out who they were."