FIFA Suspends Panama Football President Amid World Cup Surprise

ZURICH, Switzerland — Days after Panama qualified for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has suspended the country’s football president, Manuel Arias, for failing to comply with a prior sanction. The suspension was imposed for derogatory comments made about national team player Marta Cox regarding her weight.

FIFA announced that Arias is banned from all football-related activities for six months, which will end just four weeks before the World Cup kicks off in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. He will miss the World Cup draw on December 5 in Washington, D.C., where U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to be present.

Arias has also been fined 20,000 Swiss francs (approximately $25,000) for his misconduct. The exact details of how he violated FIFA’s previous ruling have not been disclosed. The controversy began when Arias remarked that Cox was “fat” following her criticisms about the national team’s organization, which reached the Women’s World Cup in 2023. He later called his comments “unfortunate” in March 2024.

During his earlier six-month suspension, Arias missed two World Cup qualifying matches in June and the Gold Cup in the U.S. running until July. He does have the option to appeal FIFA’s latest sanctions.

Panama secured its male World Cup spot by defeating El Salvador 3-0 on Tuesday, while group leader Suriname lost 3-1 to Guatemala.