FIFA bans bin Hammam for life in bribery case

ZURICH, AP:Mohamed bin Hammam's downfall from being one of football's most powerful men to a disgraced outcast was completed yesterday when FIFA banned the Qatari official for life for his role in a bribery scandal.

FIFA found Bin Hammam guilty of bribing presidential-election voters just months after he helped secure 2022 World Cup hosting rights for his tiny Gulf homeland. The scandal led to him having to abandon his campaign to unseat FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and ultimately led to the veteran executive committee member becoming the most senior official convicted of corruption in the governing body's 107-year history.

A FIFA ethics panel ruled that the Qatari candidate conspired to pay Caribbean officials US$40,000 cash bribes in May, in exchange for their support in the election.

verdict

The verdict after a two-day hearing "was in keeping with the declared policy of the committee to show zero tolerance of unethical behaviour,'' panel chairman Petrus Damaseb said.

Damaseb also called on FIFA to consider opening cases against three more executive committee members who joined bin Hammam on a fateful campaign visit to Trinidad.

Bin Hammam's lawyer said he maintained his innocence and rejected the findings based on "so-called circumstantial evidence.''

"He will continue to fight his case through the legal routes that are open to him,'' lead counsel Eugene Gulland told reporters.

Bin Hammam can challenge his life ban at the FIFA appeals body and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"We are confident of the strength of our case, and invite FIFA to make available now to the media a full transcript of these proceedings,'' Gulland said in a prepared statement.

Bin Hammam has claimed the case was politically motivated to stop him challenging Blatter, who was re-elected unopposed last month, three days after the Asian Football Confederation president withdrew his candidacy.

Bin Hammam didn't cooperate with a FIFA investigation or attend the hearing. He wrote on his website Friday, while the FIFA panel sat in session, that he expected a guilty verdict.

FIFA also suspended two Caribbean Football Union staffers, Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, for one year for their part in distributing the bribes at a May 10-11 conference in Trinidad.