Qatar’s Mohamed bin Hammam has vowed to clear his name after a series of recent allegations made by FIFA and Asian Football Confederation, it was reported on Tuesday.
Bin Hammam, who challenged Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency last year but withdrew after allegations, is fighting a life ban by football’s world governing body.
While the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration (CAS) for Sport on 19 July after his appeal was upheld on grounds of insufficient evidence, the CAS reopened formal investigation proceedings against him last Friday
The former president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was also suspended by the organisation for 30 days following allegations of “financial wrongdoing”.
Following an internal audit, the AFC issued a statement saying Bin Hammam had been suspended for “events surrounding the negotiation and execution of certain contracts and with the financial transactions made in and out of AFC bank accounts and his personal account during the tenure of Mr Bin Hammam’s presidency”.
However, the 63-year old has vowed to clear his name.
“My legal team has filed an immediate response to the actions of the AFC and FIFA in relation to my latest politically-motivated ban,” he told the BBC. “I will announce further steps very shortly to challenge this clear abuse of power and process at the hand of FIFA.”
Bin Hammam was elected AFC president in 2002, but has fallen from grace since being accused of bribery during his bid to secure the presidency of FIFA.
He withdrew his candidacy and was then provisionally suspended days before the June election over allegations that he had tried to buy the votes of Caribbean officials by handing them US$40,000.
Blatter was subsequently re-elected unopposed for a fourth term as FIFA president, while Bin Hammam was found guilty of breaking seven articles of FIFA’s ethics code, including one relating to bribery.
Hammam has always denied any wrongdoing.
Follow us on
