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FIFA defends overhaul of ethics code that protects "reputations of others"

Justifying an overhaul of its ethics code, FIFA asserted Tuesday that people who "tarnish the reputations of others" must be banned from football.

The Associated Press revealed Monday that a new offence of defamation had been added to the document governing the conduct of participants in the game, with scope for a ban of up to five years from football.

While the code provides no precise definition of defamation, FIFA has now provided further context in a statement, saying it is "the act of communicating false information that harms the reputation of an individual or a group.