By Andrew Warshaw
July 21 – Suspended Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam has come out fighting ahead of his showdown with FIFA’s Ethics Committee by repeating assertions of a concerted campaign to prove him guilty prematurely.
The 62-year-old Qatari has been suspended from world football’s governing body since the end of May following allegations that he attempted to bribe Caribbean officials to vote for him in the FIFA Presidential election.
But on his personal website, Bin Hammam, who comes face to face with Committee members tomorrow before his long-term fate is announced 24 hours later, questions why the people who he allegedly induced had not themselves been investigated by FIFA.
“Does it not surprise anyone that, although I have been suspended for the last seven weeks…for allegedly bribing individuals, none of those who it is claimed received those alleged inducements have faced similar action?” he wrote.
“Why was the FIFA Ethics Committee in such a hurry to suspend me before the FIFA election took place, and then begin to search for evidence to find if I am guilty or not?
“With just a few days to go before my hearing, there can be no doubt that there has been a campaign waged within certain quarters to ensure that I am seen to be guilty and eliminated from football in the court of public opinion, even before my hearing has started…”
Bin Hammam is expected to argue that he was not responsible for bringing almost $1 million (£620,000/€700,000) into Trinidad where the bribes were allegedly paid.
He is also unhappy at media leaks which he believes have prejudiced his case.
“The leaking of confidential information by individuals to the media, before the entire story had been told in a manner that is fair to all sides, was done for their own purposes and personal agendas,” he wrote on his blog.
“Furthermore, a statement was made on June 23 by an Ethics Committee official that there is ‘compelling evidence that Bin Hammam had paid money’ to specific parties.
“Two days later on June 25, a high-ranking FIFA official told the media that ‘Bin Hammam will be banned for life’.
“Despite these clear attempts to besmirch my name in the public domain, I will not allow my own suspicions to dash my hopes or to make me think, as some would wish, that I will have to travel a long and hard road to clear my name of the stain of this politically motivated affair.
“My years serving football and FIFA lead me to think, and presume, that at the very least the Ethics Committee will give me the fair hearing that I deserve, uninfluenced by political agendas or other interests.
“Notwithstanding the biasness and the absence of fair proceedings since the start of this trial, over the past seven weeks my legal team and I have been working very hard to provide convincing grounds that fair play was highly respected and observed throughout my election campaign, including in Trinidad and Tobago, in accordance with FIFA’s own practices as laid down by its rules and regulations.”
Although Bin Hammam, President of the Asian Football Confederation, states that none of those who allegedly received bribes have been sanctioned, insideworldfootball was told several days ago that he may not be the only one who is disciplined by the Ethics Committee.
Whatever the ultimate penalty against him, this website has learned that other officials caught up in the cash-for-votes debacle are also likely to have investigations opened against them.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1739465521labto1739465521ofdlr1739465521owedi1739465521sni@w1739465521ahsra1739465521w.wer1739465521dna1739465521
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