The President of the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF), Wadie Jary, has been arrested over alleged corrupt practices, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced on Thursday.
Jary was arrested following a judicial complaint lodged by the ministry concerning the illegality of a contract concluded between the Federation and a technical director, ministry spokesman, Chokri Hamda told journalists at a press conference.
According to Hamda, Jary’s arrest is in connection with a case of “financial corruption within the Federation”.
Jary is also linked to several investigations of match-fixing, money laundering, embezzlement, and corruption, Hamda said.
Though Jary has always refuted the accusations, sports media in the country has often reported deep disagreements between him and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Kamel Deguiche.
In 2020, a heated dispute had broken out between Jary, a former national team player and Taoufik Mkacher, president of the Croissant Sportif de Chebba (CS Chebba) club after the FTF suspended the club, demanding payment of fines and the submission of administrative documents.
The decision was seen by the club as a punitive action for refusing to “play ball” with Jary.
Mkacher and the club’s general secretary were later banned from holding office for two years by the FTF following a Facebook post in which the president of CS, Chebba denounced the FTF president’s “authoritarian” management and lack of transparency, and called for an audit of its finances.