Bin Hammam admits to making payments
Source: Agencies |
August 16, 2012, Thursday
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MOHAMED bin Hammam said accusations he enriched his family and supporters while president of Asian football are politically motivated and that he plans to fight "this clear abuse of power and process at the hand of FIFA."
In a letter to 20 Asian associations, bin Hammam confirmed he made payments to football officials and others but said they came out of his own bank accounts and were driven by a desire to help those in need, including Zhang Jilong, the current AFC president who ordered the PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit that instigated the investigation by FIFA's ethics committee.
"Jilong was one of those who came to me for financial support and I helped him with a significant amount from my personal account," bin Hammam wrote. "I will leave him to explain the circumstances of this to you if he wishes."
The 63-year-old Qatari had a lifetime football ban overturned in court in July following allegations he bribed Caribbean voters when he challenged Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency.
The accusations in the PWC audit are the subject of separate investigations by the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA, but have been described by Bin Hammam as "a repeat of what FIFA did immediately before I stood against Mr. Blatter in the presidential elections last year."
"This, of course, is yet another attempt by Zurich through the infinite tools and power of FIFA to diminish and insult Asia's name by attacking me directly following the annulment of my previous FIFA ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport," bin Hammam wrote.
Accusations
Bin Hammam's letter cites the names of five people he says he helped, including two who have since died of cancer, one who had open-heart surgery, another for tuition fees for a FIFA program, and the family of a 16-year-old from Nepal who died while playing football.
"Let me declare that as a human being with the personal means to help and coming from a culture and society where this is seen as a duty, I am proud of these accusations, and I welcome them," bin Hammam wrote.
The audit accuses bin Hammam of receiving millions of dollars from individuals linked to AFC contracts and spending tens of thousands on items such as a honeymoon, dental work, haircuts and cash payments for his family. Payments are alleged to have been made to Asian, African and Caribbean football officials, including US$250,000 to Jack Warner, the former head of Caribbean football. Tens of thousands of dollars were given to federation presidents and their relatives, the audit claimed, adding that most of it went into their personal bank accounts and none of it was for football-related expenses.
In a letter to 20 Asian associations, bin Hammam confirmed he made payments to football officials and others but said they came out of his own bank accounts and were driven by a desire to help those in need, including Zhang Jilong, the current AFC president who ordered the PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit that instigated the investigation by FIFA's ethics committee.
"Jilong was one of those who came to me for financial support and I helped him with a significant amount from my personal account," bin Hammam wrote. "I will leave him to explain the circumstances of this to you if he wishes."
The 63-year-old Qatari had a lifetime football ban overturned in court in July following allegations he bribed Caribbean voters when he challenged Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency.
The accusations in the PWC audit are the subject of separate investigations by the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA, but have been described by Bin Hammam as "a repeat of what FIFA did immediately before I stood against Mr. Blatter in the presidential elections last year."
"This, of course, is yet another attempt by Zurich through the infinite tools and power of FIFA to diminish and insult Asia's name by attacking me directly following the annulment of my previous FIFA ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport," bin Hammam wrote.
Accusations
Bin Hammam's letter cites the names of five people he says he helped, including two who have since died of cancer, one who had open-heart surgery, another for tuition fees for a FIFA program, and the family of a 16-year-old from Nepal who died while playing football.
"Let me declare that as a human being with the personal means to help and coming from a culture and society where this is seen as a duty, I am proud of these accusations, and I welcome them," bin Hammam wrote.
The audit accuses bin Hammam of receiving millions of dollars from individuals linked to AFC contracts and spending tens of thousands on items such as a honeymoon, dental work, haircuts and cash payments for his family. Payments are alleged to have been made to Asian, African and Caribbean football officials, including US$250,000 to Jack Warner, the former head of Caribbean football. Tens of thousands of dollars were given to federation presidents and their relatives, the audit claimed, adding that most of it went into their personal bank accounts and none of it was for football-related expenses.
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