Former FIFA exec committee member Aloulou of Tunisia dies

BATA, Equatorial Guinea (AP) - Former FIFA executive committee member and one-time banned official Slim Aloulou of Tunisia has died, the Confederation of African Football said on Thursday.

CAF did not announce his age or a cause of death but Tunisian media said Aloulou was 73.

CAF praised Aloulou as an "illustrious" servant to soccer. But he was banned for a year and lost his job chairing FIFA's disputes resolution panel for offering advice to undercover reporters on how to bribe officials during the scandal-tainted votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Aloulou, a lawyer by trade, was one of a string of FIFA officials to be sanctioned in the wake of the highly criticized 2010 votes.

CAF said Aloulou died in Tunis on Wednesday, three days before the African Cup of Nations kicks off in Equatorial Guinea. There will be a moment's silence for him before all matches on the first four days of the tournament, the African soccer body said.

CAF did not mention Aloulou's disciplinary case and subsequent ban by FIFA in its tribute.

"He was a long-time companion," CAF President Issa Hayatou said in a statement, describing Aloulou as "friendly" and "discreet."

Aloulou served two terms as a member of CAF's executive committee, and was on FIFA's powerful decision-making board from 1988-2004. He also twice served as head of Tunisia's Football Federation in a 40-year career in administration.