Football: Bin Hammam denies FIFA charges

LONDON: Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam ‘completely denied’ wrongdoing after football’s governing body announced it was investigating him for corruption. Bin Hammam said allegations against him were part of a politically motivated ploy by Fifa President Sepp Blatter as the two powerbrokers prepared for a June 1 election. “This has been a painful day for me,” he said. “But, if there’s 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.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2011.