Bin Hammam vows to fight to clear his name after FIFA life ban

By David Gold

August 25 – Mohamed Bin Hammam, banned for life from football activity by FIFA in July after being found guilty of bribing Caribbean officials ahead of June’s Presidential election against Sepp Blatter, has confirmed that he will take his appeal against the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President put a statement on his personal blog stating his intent to clear his name, and said that he was taking his case to the FIFA Appeals Committee as a first step to launching an appeal with CAS, who are based in Lausanne.

“I have submitted my case to the FIFA Appeals Committee, not hoping for justice to prevail but as a protocol to enable me to obtain access to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS),” he said.

“After all, the panel from the Appeals Committee is decided by my opponent and in this case, as previously, the judge is the rival.

“Therefore, I should not exaggerate my hope for a fair decision.

“Going through the motivated decisions, we found them to be deeply flawed and raises grave doubts on whether any decision-making body of FIFA has sufficient independence to ensure a fair decision.”

Bin Hammam was accused of bribery at the end of May when CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer revealed details of a meeting set up by the Qatari and the confederation’s chief Jack Warner, at which the American alleged $40,000 (£24,000) was offered to delegates.

Warner was also investigated for his role in the scandal, but he opted to step down voluntarily from football activities in return for FIFA dropping the case against him.

The opening up of the investigation meant that Bin Hammam was forced to pull out of the FIFA Presidential race, giving Blatter a free run at winning a fourth term in office, which he has since claimed will be his last.

Bin Hammam was banned for life on July 23 following a six week investigation by former FBI official Louis Freeh, and meant that he was forced to step down from his role with the AFC and Qatar’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup, the bid for which he was integral in helping to win.

The former Asian power broker remains determined to clear his name and return to football politics.

“The decisions of the Appeals Committee will not be any better than the Ethics Committee and I would not be surprised if another investigation will be opened,” he continued.

“But as I have vowed before, I will not rest no matter what tactical delays, forgery or biasness are put against me.

“I will continue my battle until I prove my innocence and that my suspension was a political decision.”

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