MOHAMMED Bin Hammam and Austin ‘Jack’ Warner have denied charges against them as FIFA announced they will investigate corruption allegations.
The world football’s governing body summoned Bin Hammam, who is a FIFA presidential candidate, to appear before an ethics hearing over a report into possible bribery. FIFA said it had begun ethical proceedings against Bin Hammam, the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation, along with CONCACAF president Jack Warner and two other officials.
“This has been a difficult and painful day for me today,” Bin Hammam, who is running against incumbent Sepp Blatter in the June 1 vote, said in a statement.
“But, if there is even the slightest justice in the world, these allegations will vanish in the wind. This move is little more than a tactic being used by those who have no confidence in their own ability to emerge successfully from the FIFA presidential election.”
Warner was quoted on The Daily Telegraph website as telling the newspaper he “was unaware of any wrongdoing on my part” and implied the charges were linked to the presidential election, in which Blatter is standing for a fourth term.
“I take note of the initiative by FIFA’s Ethics Committee and confirm that I have been invited to attend a hearing this week Sunday, May 29, 2011 in Zurich,” Warner told the newspaper.
“I am unaware of the particulars of the matter being investigated by FIFA at this time, so I will therefore abstain from any comment until such time as I have been made aware of all that has been submitted to FIFA.
“It is interesting to note the timing of these allegations and the hearing scheduled days before the FIFA presidential elections. As this is now a formal procedure, I shall not be offering any further comment prior to the hearing on Sunday.”
FIFA said it had received a report from Chuck Blazer, another executive committee member, which included “bribery allegations”.
The report referred to a Caribbean Football Union meeting which was attended by Warner and Bin Hammam on May 10/11 and was linked to the election campaign.
The meeting, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, was organised so Bin Hammam could state his election case to delegates as he was unable to attend the CONCACAF Congress in Miami on May 3 after being denied a visa for the United States.
Unlike last year’s scandal, in which two executive committee members were banned following investigations by the Sunday Times newspaper, the allegations came from within FIFA for the first time.
Bin Hammam said in the statement: “Here I completely deny any allegations of wrongdoing either intentionally or unknowingly while I was in the Caribbean.
“I will speak to Mr Warner on this subject and offer him my full support in ensuring we are discharged honourably by the FIFA Ethics Committee, a body which I hold in the highest esteem.
“I am confident that there is no charge to answer and that I will be free to stand in the FIFA presidential election on June 1 as originally planned.”
FIFA would not comment on whether the election might now be postponed.
A spokesman for Blatter also said he would not comment.
“On May 24, FIFA executive committee member and CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer reported to FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke possible violations of the FIFA code of ethics allegedly committed by officials.
“In view of the facts alleged in this report, which include bribery allegations, Jerome Valcke requested the FIFA Ethics Committee to open ethics proceedings,” FIFA said in a statement.