The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday dismissed an appeal of former world football top official Amos Adamu of Kenya against a three-year ban in connection with a corruption probe during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding stage.

Amadu, a former executive committee member at the ruling body FIFA, had appealed a FIFA ban imposed in November 2010 and confirmed in February 2011, saying FIFA used illegal evidence.

Adamu was banned based on recordings from Britain’s Sunday Times paper in which he asked undercover reporters for money in exchange for a World Cup vote.

“The CAS Panel rejected the argument raised by Dr Adamu that the recordings obtained by FIFA from the Sunday Times should be considered as illegal evidence,” said CAS.

The panel added that “there has been no ordinary judge declaring that the evidence was unlawfully obtained and prohibiting its use and that it was even not sure that the Sunday Times journalists acted illegally.”

“In conclusion, the CAS Arbitrators considered that the sanction imposed by FIFA was not disproportionate and was even relatively mild given the seriousness of the offence.”

Amadu and other officials have banned by the body’s ethics committee as FIFA tried to cope with corruption allegations in several areas.

The CAS will deal with more cases in upcoming months, most prominently an appeal from former presidential candidate Mohammed bin Hammam of Qatar who was banned for life by FIFA for arranging bribes for votes in the Caribbean during his campaign for the top job.