Brazilian football chief handed 90-day provisional suspension by FIFA

Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Marco Polo Del Nero has been provisionally banned for 90 days by FIFA's ethics committee, football's world governing body has announced.

The ban, which starts with immediate effect, can be extended for a further 45 days while the ethics committee's investigatory chamber carries out a formal investigation into the 76-year-old.

In a statement, FIFA said: "During this time, Mr Polo Del Nero is banned from all football activities at both national and international level.''

A lawyer by trade, Polo Del Nero has run Brazilian football since the start of 2015 despite being charged by the American authorities with money-laundering and racketeering later that year.

He fled Zurich in May 2015 when dozens of football officials were arrested by Swiss police as part of the United States-led investigation into corruption in the global game, and quit his position on FIFA's executive committee in November 2015.

In order to avoid arrest and probable extradition to the U.S., Polo Del Nero has not left Brazil since May this year and has therefore not represented the CBF at several South American football confederation and FIFA meetings.