Just days after Panama qualified for the 2026 World Cup, the president of the national federation of this sport, Manuel Arias, was once again suspended by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. "Manuel Arias Corco, president of the Panamanian Football Federation, is disqualified from engaging in any football-related activity for six months and is fined 20,000 Swiss francs (24,735 dollars) for violating Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code for failing to comply with the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee's Decision-Making Body on November 15, 2024," the FIFA press release states. The note also adds that the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee was notified this Friday, and under the relevant provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the affected party has ten days to request the reasoned decision, which will be published on legal.fifa.com if requested. Decisions can be appealed. FIFA had initiated proceedings against the president of the Panamanian Football Federation (Fepafut), Manuel Arias, for allegedly not complying with a six-month suspension for calling a women's national team football player 'fat'. The sanction was imposed last January, when the FIFA Ethics Committee notified Arias of a six-month suspension until July 14, 2025, during which he could not participate in activities related to federated football due to the improper use of language when he called Marta Cox, one of Panama's most prominent players, 'fat'. However, the investigation concluded that Arias did not comply with the suspension and therefore committed another offense. Not all is well in the Panamanian Football Federation (FPF).
