The FIFA Disciplinary Committee, under the chairmanship of Marcel Mathier of Switzerland examined the case against Austin and decided he should be suspended effective July 4, 2011 until next July – one year. Austin was the head of the Barbados Football Association and was made the interim head of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football on May 30, 2011 following the suspension of Jack Warner. He was later suspended also by CONCACAF after he tried to sack Chuck Blazer, the man who blew the whistle on a bribery scandal at FIFA.
Austin had responded by taking the matter to a Bahamanian court, which led to the one-year suspension. FIFA statutes say officials should not take their disputes to civil court systems. Should Austin not withdraw the matter from the Bahamas judicial system, FIFA said, he “will remain banned…for as long as the legal proceedings in ordinary courts are pursued.”
Meanwhile, the six match officials – Sinisa Zrnic, Kenan Bajramovic, Rizah Ridalovic, Kolos Lengyel, János Csák and Krisztián Selmeczi – have all been banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for life.
The officials were found guilty of breaching corruption and unlawfully influencing match results.
