Blatter was aware of payments: Bin Hammam
FIFA’s corruption crisis has taken another dramatic turn after Sepp Blatter was accused by his opponent in the presidential election of knowing about the payments which led to bribery charges.
Mohamed Bin Hammam, who along with FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has been charged with paying bribes for votes, claims Blatter has himself been named in statements submitted to the ethics committee ahead of a hearing on Sunday.
The 62-year-old has now demanded that Blatter be included in the investigation by the world governing body’s ethics committee.
He said in a statement: “Mohamed Bin Hammam, member of the executive committee of FIFA, was surprised by [Wednesday’s] accusations of bribery. He rejects these accusations and confirms that they are without substance.
“The accusations also contain statements according to which Mr Blatter, the incumbent FIFA president, was informed of, but did not oppose, payments allegedly made to members of the Caribbean Football Union.
“Mr Bin Hammam has therefore requested that the investigation by the ethics committee be extended to include Mr Blatter himself.”
The statement claims the timing of the charges are a smear campaign aimed at forcing Bin Hammam to withdraw as a candidate for the FIFA presidency.
Bin Hammam added: “I am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the ethics committee may have for me at the hearing next Sunday. As long as the committee guarantees a fair process, I have nothing to fear.”
Blatter had earlier expressed his sadness over the bribery allegations and branded claims that he was trying to smear his opponent as “ludicrous”.
Blatter said in his column on insideworldfootball.biz: “To now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible.
“I am shocked, saddened and deeply unhappy about the charges levelled against a man whose friendship I enjoyed for many years. It gives me no pleasure to see him suffer public disgrace before an investigation would even have started.”
The pair will face long bans if the allegations – made by fellow executive committee member Chuck Blazer – are proven and Blatter commended the American for coming forward.
He added: “I am all for the zero-tolerance policy I announced a while back and will continue to fight corruption in football to the best of my ability.
“But I also admire Chuck Blazer’s civic courage and an initiative that resulted from reports he received from within the confederation he administers as its secretary general.
“I am horrified by the most recent developments that are shedding a very bad light on FIFA yet again: no sane person can take pleasure in this development, and no decent person will enjoy the troubles of others, be that friend or foe.”
New details have emerged of the file of evidence compiled against the two FIFA members – they include copies of emails sent by Warner seeking to arrange a special congress for Bin Hammam to meet associations from the CONCACAF federation.
The file, compiled by US lawyer John Collins at the request of Blazer, includes signed affidavits from several witnesses who allege they were offered bundles of cash of up to $40,000 (€28,000).
FIFA yesterday announced that they will hold a news conference in Zurich on Sunday evening following the outcome of the ethics committee hearing.
