A few days after Panama’s World Cup qualification, football association head Manuel Arias was again banned by FIFA for six months.
The reason for the new sanctions is that Arias “allegedly did not fulfill 100 percent” of a previous six-month ban for body shaming against star selection player Marta Cox, the Panamanian association said.
Also fined by FIFA
He was also fined 20,000 Swiss francs (around 21,000 euros), as the world football association FIFA announced. Last March, Arias called Cox, now 28, “out of shape” and “fat.” The midfielder had previously criticized the line-up of the national team, which qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Arias apologized for his statements a short time later, but was banned by FIFA for six months until July 2025. The renewed sanction now applies until a few weeks before the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, which begins on June 11th. Cox is currently under contract with Fenerbahçe in the Turkish league.