FIFA Suspension Employees After Reportedly Committing Immoral Acts Underage

FIFA punishes an employee who commits minor immorality (doc. FIFA).

JAKARTA - FIFA has suspended an employee after he was arrested on charges of persuading minors to have sex while on a work trip in Miami.

The Miami Herald reported that Jack Edward Coles was detained on Friday, February 7, 2025, by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations at a hotel near the FIFA office in the Coral Gables area.

Coles, 39, who is a British national, is thought to have met a 14-year-old boy through the October 2024 men's dating app. He allegedly tried to meet him again last week.

The boy reportedly told FIFA staff he was 16 years old and then contacted federal investigators.

Prison records on Thursday, February 13, 2025, list Coles as a prisoner at the Federal Detention Center in Miami.

"FIFA is aware of the ongoing legal process in Miami. The alleged violation is serious and is a personal matter that has nothing to do with his work at FIFA."

"The person has been suspended from all his duties immediately and until further notice."

"FIFA has not provided further comments at this stage," the FIFA statement told The Associated Press.

Coles is project leader at FIFA Sound, the department that organizes music for world football's sporting events and broadcasts.

FIFA opened a base in the United States, to be precise in Coral Gables, in 2023 ahead of the two major tournaments held in the country.

FIFA also moved its legal department there from its central office in Zurich.