KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — Former president of the St Vincent & the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) Venold Coombs has agreed to pay the sport’s world governing body FIFA US$1,200 a month to satisfy the US$40,000 fine imposed on him five years ago.

FIFA also banned Coombs from all football-related activities — administrative, sports or otherwise — globally for two years at the same time it imposed the fine.

He was further fined US$40,000 for selling 2014 World Cup tickets at a “profiteering mark-up”.

FIFA imposed an additional six months ban in August last year, which elapsed in March this year, for Coombs’ failure to pay the fine.

Otashie Spring, president of local club SV United, said at a news conference that Coombs reached out to FIFA on multiple occasions this past September, concerning his status.

Spring, who is also first vice-president of SVGFF, said FIFA indicated that the ban had elapsed, but the fine was still outstanding.

“They…then requested from him correspondence that within his own preference to basically present a payment plan as to how he is expected to basically settle that outstanding payment,” Spring said at a news conference, which Coombs also attended.

Spring said Coombs and FIFA agreed that the payment will be made over 36 months.

“…At least for 35 of those payments, it would sum up to a monthly payment of US$1,200,” Spring said. “Payments basically would have been made, so is in compliance with respect to the plan as approved by FIFA.”

Spring said correspondence from FIFA suggested that Coombs’ ban was not linked to the fine and that the former SVGFF president was free to resume all football-related activities.

He and Coombs accused the SVGFF of suppressing information from FIFA that the former president could return to all football-related activities.