Story highlights
FIFA rejects Mohammed Bin Hammam's appeal against his life ban from football
Qatari had been found guilty of breaching ruling body's code of ethics
The 62-year-old was accused of trying to buy votes from Caribbean delegates
He had been head of the Asian Football Confederation since 2002
Former Asian football president Mohammed bin Hammam has failed to overturn his life ban in an appeal to world ruling body FIFA.
The Qatari had hoped to be reinstated after being accused of bribing officials for votes in June’s FIFA presidential election, but the Appeal Committee announced on Thursday that the suspension will stand.
“The appeal made by Mohammed bin Hammam has been rejected and the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee confirmed,” FIFA’s website reported.
“The sanction of being banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at national and international level for life has therefore been maintained.”
Ecuador’s Francisco Acosta chaired a panel also comprising Argentina’s Fernando Mitjans and Augustin Senghor of Senegal to hear the case.
Bin Hammam said he now intended to pursue the matter with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where he feels he has a better chance of success.
“Of course, today’s outcome from the Appeal Committee was not unexpected or surprising. To be fair to the Appeal Committee members though, as a consequence of our experiences with the Ethics Committee, we didn’t make serious efforts to prove my innocence this time around,” he said on his website.
“I can now see, at last, light at the end of the tunnel and I am heading confidently towards it. My next step is to go to CAS, where from now on I will be equal to my rival.”
Bin Hammam was provisionally found guilty of breaching FIFA’s ethics code just days before the June 1 election, in which he was to be incumbent Sepp Blatter’s only opponent.
The 62-year-old withdrew from contention and was subsequently banned for life in July. He has maintained his innocence, despite being found guilty of offering money to Caribbean delegates.
FIFA vice-president Jack Warner was also provisionally suspended for his part in the affair, but decided to resign rather than appear in front of the Ethics Committee.
Bin Hammam, a former FIFA Executive Committee member, was chairman of the Qatar Football Association from 1992-96 and president of the Asian Football Confederation from 2002-11.
He was a key figure as Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup, despite accusations of corruption in the build-up to the FIFA delegates’ vote on that tournament and the 2018 event, which went to Russia.
