FIFA extends Haiti football boss ban, sexual abuse inquiry

The president of Haiti's football federation (FHF), Yves "Dadou" Jean-Bart, has been suspended for a further 90 days by FIFA's ethics committee, as world football's governing body announced it was now also investigating two other officials in relation to allegations of sexual abuse inside the FHF.

Read more: Haitian football's sexual abuse scandal – a tangled web

In a statement, FIFA said Jean-Bart would "continue to be banned from taking part in any football-related activity at both national and international level" during the suspension period. FIFA added that it had widened its investigation to include two other officials, named as Wilner Etienne, the FHF's technical director, and Nela Joseph, the girls' supervisor at Haiti's national training center, where the abuse is alleged to have taken place.

"This sanction has been imposed in connection with ongoing investigations into Mr. Jean-Bart, as well as other officials within the FHF, who were identified as having allegedly been involved (as principals, accomplices or instigators) in acts of systematic sexual abuse against female football players," the statement continued.

"Furthermore, preliminary investigation proceedings are currently being carried out that include the analysis of potential offenses committed by other FHF/Haitian officials."

The allegations of abuse against Jean-Bart, including rape and death threats, first surfaced in the British newspaper The Guardian at the end of April. A subsequent DW investigation showed how the longtime president used his power to silence and control victims and potential whistleblowers.

Last week, the international rights group Human Rights Watch said witnesses who could provide evidence against the FHF had been threatened in a warning not to do so. The group called on authorities in Haiti and the United States to do more to protect them.

Haiti's specialist child protection unit, the Protection of Minors Brigade, is leading the criminal investigation inside the country. DW has approached the Haitian police force for an update on the case. Jean-Bart denies all the allegations against him.