As he readies for a FIFA corruption hearing set to commence on Friday in Zurich, beleaguered former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohamed bin Hammam has directed accusations at those who have charged him.
The 62-year-old from Qatar has faced suspension since May due to claims suggesting he attempted to bribe Caribbean football officials in order to secure their votes during the FIFA presidential election.
On Friday, he will appear before FIFA’s ethics committee to discover his fate, but in a blog entry posted on Wednesday, he questioned why those alleged to have received bribes had not been investigated as well.
“Isn’t it surprising that while I have been suspended for the past seven weeks… for supposedly bribing individuals, none of those supposedly on the receiving end have faced similar consequences?” Bin Hammam wrote.
“What led to the FIFA ethics committee’s rush to suspend me prior to the FIFA election, only to then start searching for evidence of my guilt?
“With just days remaining before my hearing, it is clear that a campaign has been mounted by certain individuals to ensure I am perceived as guilty, attempting to eliminate me from football in the court of public opinion before the hearing even begins.”
Both Bin Hammam and former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner were suspended following the revelation of a leaked report indicating that four Caribbean Football Union (CFU) associations were promised money or witnessed the offense during a meeting on May 10-11.
Afterward, Warner stepped down from all football-related activities, leading FIFA to abandon their investigation into his involvement in the matter.
Previously, Bin Hammam has requested a fair hearing from FIFA, and once more he expressed concern over the media leaks in the lead-up to Friday’s hearing at FIFA headquarters.
“…On June 23, an ethics committee official stated that there is ‘compelling evidence that Bin Hammam had paid money’ to specific individuals,” he added in his blog.
“Just two days later, on June 25, a senior FIFA official informed the media that ‘Bin Hammam will be banned for life.’
“Despite these obvious efforts to tarnish my reputation publicly, I will not let my own doubts crush my hopes or allow me to believe, as some would prefer, that I face a long and arduous path to vindicate myself from this politically motivated situation.”
The ethics committee is also scheduled to review the cases of Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, the CFU officials who were suspended alongside Warner.
The allegations against Bin Hammam resulted in his withdrawal from the presidential race, which enabled incumbent president Sepp Blatter to be re-elected unopposed in June for a fourth term at the forefront of football’s most potent organization.
by Buford Balony
