Qatar’s FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam said on Saturday he has submitted his case in preparation for Sunday’s hearing into bribe allegations.
The Asian football chief said that he was still confident that the June 1 election – where he stands against sitting president Sepp Blatter – would take place.
He added that he expected FIFA’s ethics committee “to see through this tawdry manoeuvre”.
With both candidates, plus Caribbean football boss Jack Warner, facing a FIFA ethics committee hearing, British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson called for the election to be suspended claiming the campaign had been turned into “a farce”.
But bin Hammam said in his latest website blog: “I am happy that on June 1, the election will take place and the delegates of the 208 National Associations will be able to make their decision.”
He added: “There is increasing evidence of a conspiracy against my candidacy for the FIFA presidency…After having analysed and answered the accusations of bribery made, it seems obvious that they are without substance.”
Bin Hammam is accused of handing out about $2m in cash to Caribbean soccer officials for “development” of the sport.
In his reply to FIFA’s ethics committee, bin Hammam said that while it was true that he addressed representatives of the Caribbean Football Union at a meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago on May 10-11, no attempt to buy their votes was every made.
“Nobody has ever tried to hide the fact that Mr Bin Hammam paid for the delegates’ travel and accommodation expenses and covered the meeting’s administrative costs…Mr Bin Hammam reiterates that any allegations about him trying to buy votes are completely false,” said a statement on his website.
“It is obvious that these allegations have been made to discredit Mr Bin Hammam as a candidate in the imminent election for the FIFA presidency…After analysing the allegations made against Mr Bin Hammam, it is difficult to understand how the case could even have been brought before the committee,” it added.
Follow us on
