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Khalifa passes Fifa integrity checks
A ‘black mark on the world of football’ as Bahraini royal officially becomes presidential candidate

THE Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird) slammed Fifa yesterday for adding a “human rights abuser to their profile” after Sheik Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa passed their presidential candidacy integrity check.

Khalifa has been accused of being complicit in the detention of footballers and other athletes while head of the Bahrain Football Association.

He allegedly dobbed in athletes who had joined pro-democracy protests in the Gulf monarchy in 2011. They were savagely tortured and the protests drowned in blood with the help of Saudi troops.

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