Qatar’s bin Hammam faces FIFA bribery claims
First were allegations that Qatar paid millions of dollars in bribes to secure its win to host the 2022 World Cup, now its Mohamed bin Hammam himself who is facing FIFA bribery claims!
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Mohamed Bin Hammam is accused by FIFA of offering $40,000 to Caribbean soccer officials as part of his pitch to become president of the governing body, two people familiar with the situation said.
Bin Hammam, the head of soccer in Asia, is alleged to have offered about $2m in cash to delegates as funds for “football development,” said the people, who asked for anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment publicly on the case.
“I completely deny any allegations of wrongdoing either intentionally or unknowingly while I was in the Caribbean,” bin Hammam said in a statement yesterday.
Bin Hammam and co-accused Jack Warner, the head of soccer in North and Central America, must give their defense by May 27, FIFA said in a statement yesterday. A disciplinary hearing will follow on May 29, three days before the June 1 presidential election between bin Hammam and incumbent Sepp Blatter of Switzerland. Warner denies wrongdoing.
read more here: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/bin-hammam-offered-40-000--voting-officia...
Gadarene,
That’s what millions around the world, are perceiving from this farce!
Fiasco begins with allegations of bribery related to the 2022 BID...NOT Bin Hammam personally...FIFA says they will "fully investigate"...this is followed by allegations against Bin Hammam personally claiming he bribed a bunch of FIFA officials NOT to win the 2022 bid but towards votes for the FIFA presidential election...
Bin Hammam withdraws bid HOURS before FIFA suspends him pending further investigation,followed by FIFA's press statement that there is no "evidence of wrongdoing" in the 2022 bid process...just a coincidental sequence of events people?...
Or maybe,just maybe,Blatter & his crew confront Bin Hammam in private & SHOW him proof of bribery in BOTH the 2022 bid AND his in his election campaign & offer him a deal,withdraw your nomination for president,the allegations against the 2022 bid will be quashed,the allegations against you will be "investigated" & either a) you will have to take the fall & be found guilty & banned from any further association with FIFA.
b) the "investigation" will find no credible evidence against you & will allow to return to your post as AFC president.
There is no smoke without a fire & that's all there is to it,after Bin Hammam's defiant press statements the past few weeks/months about bringing about "change" in FIFA,it seems a bit strange(to put it mildly) that he quietly withdrew his nomination @ the last minute & hasn't said a word about Blatter since,if this doesn't seem like a deal has been struck & even more millions have exchanged hands,i don't know what does...
Conspiracy theory you say?... ought to seem clear as bl*%#y daylight to anyone with half a brain,but hey that's just me...what do i know?...
I agree with Britexpat and Cabbage's comments. One thing puzzles me- why is FIFA investigating itself? and (ok 2 things) why if aledged bribery has taken place are a more independent and authoritative body not investigating? After all, in most places in the World, bribery is ILLEGAL.
Flan when Hell freezes it will be more suitable for ice hockey.
in answer to Sheikha Mozah's question "when do you think is the right time for the World Cup to come to the Middle East?"
A: never......or when hell starts to freeze so it'll be cooler here.
Nomerci then I stand corrected....should be 'son of a pigeon'
Cabbage thats not an insult. I only said what I thought it meant in Arabic.
BTW I am out of bounds now and out of reach of all Qataris. I feel quite safe here.
edifis, I was told yesterday that "Hammam" means pigeon....I suppose it is haMam that means bathroom...not sure though...:/
I think the Qatar bid was the same as the others :-)
I think we both know what that means :-)
What this does highlight is how corrupt FIFA is and things are allowed at the top!
Over to you Blatter!
I would be careful if I were you of insulting a local in a Qatari allowed forum :-)
He has been ACCUSED - nothing has been proven.
The FIFA spokesman said that there is no basis for any investigation into the Qatar bid.
IF the bid is taken away it could open the flood gates.
If that happens so many people will go down.
This is a messy business and so many high profile people are now, I think - **itting it!
Bin Hammam = son of the bathroom.
Ain't I right!
glad the incompetent fool withdrew, now just hoping a deal wasn't brokered for qatar to keep the bid.
The whole thing was a sham.
Rotten to the core :-(
The funniest thing of all is that they admitted that Blatter knew about the payments , yet is cleared of any wrongdoing..
I was getting embarrassed watching the press conference.
Nothing of real consequence will happen. Bin Hammam and warner will probably be found guilty. The rotten tomatoes will still be there. Blatter will get re-elected and life will go on.
WOW - I am very shocked that Hamman is under investigation when Blatter gets away scoot free.
Did not see that coming at all!
One of the journalists had a valid point – if the panel were not there to see, guilt or innocence then why is Hamman and Warner banned from activity when Blatter walks ‘free’?
The House of Cards will fall though - others now will bring about the demise of others.
Ethics in FIFA - rofl as if.
The atmosphere in the room when the Press Conference was palpable - the panel at one time even admitted they could sense the anger of the journalists.
Heads will roll.
My freedom starts by not having that bloody Mr Bean staring out at me from the screen.
There's a problem with your tagline right there.
:)
I just feel tat may be...... just may be a deal happened between them tat if he resigns, Qatar could continue having the dream of hosting the World Cup..... Coz this is what politics is famous for......
Just been watching the FIFA News Conference. What a load of bo$$ocks..
the so called ethics committee is a total farce and Blatter comes out clean once again.
Apparently, the ethics committee will only look into issues brought to its notice by members. Duh........ Its the bloody members who are corrupt in the first place :o(
Innocent men rarely resign. Most likely he resigned either due to his own guilt or to shield the guilty people around him. Either way it looks bad for Qatar's 2022 bid.
Only a matter of time before the awards are scrapped and a new bidding process begins.
genesis,
I agree.
If he had nothing to hide, he should have stayed.
Now it all looks that he is running away from something!
Bin Hammam withdrawal now definitely will raise more doubts about integrity of hosting 2022.
He should have stayed and fought it. After all, Reputation and integrity of the State is more important
Going Going Gone.
I guess he jumped before he was pushed!
In a statement on his website, bin Hammam says "recent events have left me hurt and disappointed - on a professional and personal level." He added: "It is for this reason that I announce my withdrawal from the presidential election." Before this announcement there had been considerable clamour for a postponement of the election. Where Fifa is left now, with the only candidate the contentious incumbent, Mr Blatter, is now anyone’s guess.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/bin-hammam-withdraws-from-fifa-presidential-race-2290579.html
While such moves gather pace, Fifa tackles its own internecine business today in Zurich, where its ethics committee will hear the case against Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar (which controversially won the right to stage the 2022 World Cup)
At the centre of the hearing will be a dossier presented to them by Fifa executive committee member Chuck Blazer of the US. This – reportedly backed by affidavits, documents and even photographs – says that Mr Bin Hammam, in the course of campaigning for the presidency, offered large cash bribes to possibly as many as 25 CFU members at a meeting in Trinidad on 10-11 May.
He denies this, but admits he paid for attendees’ travel and accommodation for the meeting, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain. Mr Warner is accused of facilitating the alleged bribes. After these claims were made, and the hearing set, Mr Bin Hammam claimed that Mr Blatter knew in advance of the alleged cash inducements, and so this matter was added to today’s crowded agenda.
Bin Hammam now quits the race in the name of football and its fans...
Hahahahaha - the joke of the century!!!
How can high profile figures get away with corruption without a severe punishment is the reason why this world is so fcuked up!
Allegations should be investigated and severe punishment should be applied to all found guilty, in this case in Qatar 2022 and in any other similar case involving corruption!
believe that Qatar would do such a thing, where did they get their money from?? :0)
all this talk about corruption will pale in comparison to those done by BAE and Siemens and the rest.
If he goes down - so do others and this won't happen.
What is the purpose of this anyway?
It seems to me - some who have not got their own way with FIFA are now calling foul.
It is smoke and mirrors.
It would be a fool that tried to bring down Hammam.
Too many business opportunities from all over the world are dependent on Qatar retaining this winning bid.
Do you honestly think that ANY country would give up this opportunity for the sake of a few million? And bring him to task? As if!
Corruption has always been around in all areas of business from ALL countries and sport is not immune to corruption - it is, after all a business and FIFA is renowned for corruption - so why do you think this is a new thing?
Hamman will survive - is it right? Who cares really as this has happened before and will happen again.
"It's the end of the beans"
'Those outside the mud-slinging, smears and nefarious antics can only hope that FIFA's executives rip each other to shreds like weasels in a sack, and all that remains is for us to tie the top securely, attach a large rock and dump the entire bloody, squealing parcel into a river.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1391376/FIFA-corruption-Sepp-Blatter-Mohamed-Bin-Hammam--trust-one.html#ixzz1NZCnTFMy
Games within games... What's the betting that Bin Hammam comes out tops :o)
the best part is no one says anything about the Russian bid in which England was also involved. The whole focus is on Qatar, because the powers that be are afraid of the Russians.
Now even Blatter is facing an ethics enquiry.
No surprise here. It's all coming home to roost
Whats left to be seen now is the outcome of all these allegations..ie if there will be any!
more hate but possibly truth
more hate !
I dont know much Hammam but I do know that a change at the very top of FIFA is long overdue for a lot of the reasons that are mentioned in passing here - the Blatter regime is reminicsent of a lot of the autocracy that is seen in governments in Africa and latterly the Middle East. This allegation which may or may not have any substance in truth is of course perfectly timed as all Hammam can realistically do - as he has done - is to rigorously refute the allegations but the vote is less than a week away so the smoke/fire allegations have probably done their magic in making the swing voters think twice about a new and unknown candidate. I hope Hammam wins the blo;dy thing and Blatter is put out to pasture PERMANANTLY.
shameful act, if it is true
drsam,
i agree.
its because he sucks, that he is unable to set up systems (such as voting and others) that would minimize corruption.
sepp blater sucks. and his ever-refusal of using camera play-back to help referees is a stone-age mentality that must be changed.
LincolnPirate,
probably the ones who were caught and were certainly planning not to.
Smoke! Let us wait and see if there is fire.
Is there anybody who is surprised?