Bin Hammam refusing to accept defeat in battle over ban

By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich

May 30 – Mohamed Bin Hammam refused to accept defeat today in his fight against suspension over FIFA’s bribery scandal by announcing he is appealing against the decision by the Ethics Committee.

Bin Hammam, who is convinced his suspension·was motivated by political manoevring orchestrated by Sepp Blatter’s supporters, has already pulled out of the race to take on Blatter for FIFA President but wants to carry on in his role as head of Asian football and attend the Congress on Wednesday (June 1).·

The Appeals Committee has jurisdiction over the Ethics Committee and in a statement, Bin Hammam “urgently requested”·to be able to file his appeal by tomorrow in order “to revoke the provisional ban before the Congress of June 1 is starting.”

Bin Hammam says there remain many unanswered questions and is particularly concerned that the full·inquiry into him allegedly paying bribes to Caribbean federations will be equally prejudiced against him.

“What was the discussion in the Ethics Committee and how did the Ethics Committee come to its conclusion?” he asks.

“There are many other questions which need to be answered and transparency is urgently needed.”

“The way these proceedings have been conducted is absolutely not compliant with any principles of justice.

“I am punished before I am found guilty.

“I get the impression that the outcome of these proceedings had been defined from the very beginning as it has been made evident at the press conference on Sunday evening at which FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke showed his bias very clearly.

“This is not acceptable as the FIFA Ethics Committee is supposed to be a fully independent body.

“Therefore, I also expect the further investigation to be influenced and manipulated.”

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