Bwalya banned by FIFA for two years

Zambia's former African Footballer of the Year Kalusha Bwalya has been banned from all football activity for two years by FIFA.

FIFA has banned Kalusha Bwalya from all football-related activity for two years, but Zambia's former African Footballer of the Year continues to deny all wrongdoing.

Bwalya was found to have accepted a gift, violating the governing body's code of ethics, after examining his links to banned Qatari official Mohammed Bin Hammam.

FIFA said that the investigation into Bwalya, an executive committee member for the Confederation of African Football, "focused principally on benefits that Mr Bwalya had received from Mr Bin Hammam".

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He has also been fined CHF100,000 ($100,600), FIFA confirmed in a statement released on Friday. Bwalya won the African Player of the Year award in 1988 and, later, went on to become Zambia's national coach, as well as president of the Football Association of Zambia.

The 54-year-old insisted in a statement released via social media that he will continue fighting to clear his name. "I have never done and will never do anything to bring the beautiful game into disrepute," said Bwalya.