Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a light blue protective face mask, arrives at a courthouse for a hearing regarding allegations that he abused female athletes at the country’s national training center, in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, Thursday, May 21, 2020. Several players and former players have come forward and accused him of sexual misconduct after he threatened to remove them from the team if they did not accept his advances.
Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a light blue protective face mask, arrives at a courthouse for a hearing regarding allegations that he abused female athletes at the country’s national training center, in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, Thursday, May 21, 2020. Several players and former players have come forward and accused him of sexual misconduct after he threatened to remove them from the team if they did not accept his advances. Dieu Nalio Chery AP
For two decades, Yves Jean-Bart has loomed large over Haitian soccer, a father figure in a country where people are as passionate about the sport as they are about politics.
Now, Jean-Bart, 73, is the focus of a sex abuse probe by FIFA which on Monday announced that its investigatory chamber has temporarily suspended Jean-Bart while it investigates allegations that he coerced young female players into having sex.
“This sanction has been imposed in connection with ongoing investigations concerning Mr Jean-Bart,” the Federation Internationale de Football Association said in a brief statement.Continue reading