Ex-President of St. Vincent & the Grenadines Football Federation agrees to FIFA $40,000 fine settlement

Venold Coombs, the former president of the St. Vincent & the Grenadines Football Federation, has reached an agreement with FIFA to pay a monthly sum of $1,200 in order to satisfy the $40,000 fine imposed on him five years ago.

FIFA had also banned Coombs from all football-related activities globally for a two-year period at the time when the fine was imposed. He was further fined $40,000 for selling 2014 World Cup tickets at a "profiteering mark-up." In August of the previous year, FIFA had imposed an additional six-month ban, which expired in March of the current year, due to Coombs' failure to pay the fine.

Otashie Spring, the president of the local club SV United and the first vice-president of the SVGFF, revealed during a news conference that Coombs had contacted FIFA multiple times in September to inquire about his status. FIFA informed him that the ban had concluded, but the fine remained unpaid. As a result, Coombs and FIFA agreed on a 36-month payment plan, with monthly payments of $1,200 for 35 of those months. This payment plan aligns with FIFA's approval.

Spring also clarified that FIFA's correspondence indicated that Coombs' ban was not connected to the fine and that he was free to resume all football-related activities. Both Spring and Coombs accused the SVGFF of withholding information from FIFA regarding the former president's ability to return to football-related activities.