Bin Hammam vows to fight on
Mohamed bin Hammam may have against his Fifa lifetime ban but don't expect that to be the end of the story.
The former head of Asian football is determined to clear his name and told me in a text exchange on Thursday night that he was relieved that he would now have "the chance to look for justice".
Earlier and less than half an hour after the announcement from Fifa, his American lawyer Eugene Gulland released a statement confirming Bin Hammam would now take his case to the (Cas).
Even if that fails, Bin Hammam has talked about bringing an action in the Swiss courts.
As he said in his quite extraordinary outburst against , the Namibian judge who chaired the ethics committee which banned him back in July: "I am capable financially and otherwise to defend myself for years, if necessary."
Mohamed Bin Hammam is set to launch two separate cases at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Photo: Getty
Bin Hammam says he is the victim of a political stitch-up by his one-time rival for the Fifa presidency Sepp Blatter and his general secretary Jerome Valcke. He has stated repeatedly that there is at a campaign meeting back in May - even though 16 officials at that meeting are now being investigated by the Fifa ethics committee for taking the money.
He has accused Damaseb and the ethics committee of taking instruction from Valcke and even gone so far as to suggest it is a racially motivated witch-hunt.
Bin Hammam must believe he can bounce straight back to football's top table because his lawyer also announced that he has started a separate legal action at Cas against Fifa for as President of the Asian Football Confederation and Vice President of Fifa. He says this contravenes the AFC's own statutes.
And once again Bin Hammam's lawyer has called for Fifa to publish the transcripts from both today's appeal and the initial hearing in July.
Fifa told me this is extremely unlikely to happen until Bin Hammam has exhausted all the legal avenues open to him. In fact the speediest way to deliver on these calls for transparency would be for Bin Hammam to publish the transcripts himself but his lawyer says he won't do that.
What all this shows is that however much Fifa would like Mohamed Bin Hammam to walk away quietly (as Jack Warner did) he has absolutely no intention of doing so.
The big fear for Blatter as he prepares to unveil his plans to reform Fifa at next month's executive committee meeting is that Bin Hammam may deliver on his threat back in July to dish the dirt on the president's own rise to power. So far there has been no sign that this will happen before the legal process is over, but Bin Hammam has nothing to lose.
The two key questions now are: How far is he really prepared to go with this? And with his own credibility so badly damaged can he be sure anyone will still be listening?
Comment number 1.
At 15th Sep 2011, openplay wrote:There appears to be a vicious "triangle" at play in this saga; in
Corner 1. we have Bin Hammam with probably enough dirt on Sepp Blatter to completely destroy Fifa
Corner 2. Sepp Blatter with the ins and outs of how Qatar won their world cup hosting bid, and possibly letting the Qatari know their prized event could be taken away and finally
Corner 3. Qatar, knowing what they could loose if Bin Hammam fought dirty. they probably restrain Mr. Hammam.
Who blinks first?
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Comment number 2.
At 15th Sep 2011, Dan Striker wrote:All this user's posts have been removed.Why?
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Comment number 3.
At 15th Sep 2011, literat wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 4.
At 15th Sep 2011, armamentarium stultorum wrote:I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the dirt.
That's the kind of threat that only works as long as you never use it. Sure he could get a measure of revenge by dishing the dirt, but that probably wouldn't result in a reverse of his ban...
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Comment number 5.
At 15th Sep 2011, SteveSmith99 wrote:Dangerous position that FIFA are in, borderline dictatorship.
The game is moving backwards and the referee's are in trouble, English failed attempts at exposing it (91Èȱ¬ World Cup Panorama) is just losing us credibility (RVP sending off vs Barcelona was just stupid). If we continue they'll be more like it.
is probably the best read I've seen on the FIFA problems and the most feasible solutions.
Great blog. Steve.
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Comment number 6.
At 16th Sep 2011, mpkisr wrote:I henestly don't think that Bin Hammam has a leg to stand on as all the evidence points towards his guilt. But even if he does legally clear his name his character and reputation have probably been damaged beyond all repair, making a return to the world of football highly unlikely. People very rarely manage to fully rehabilitate their public personas after high-profile scandals. Though this will not stop him trying. As he said, he has the wealth to keep grinding away with successive appeals until he finally gets his own way. I still believe that he's a shady character, like others at the top. But unlike most of the others he was unlucky enough to be caught out.
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Comment number 7.
At 16th Sep 2011, Barristered wrote:I'd love to see Blatter disgraced but I don't have much faith in CAS to go against the political clout of FIFA.
As the biggest sport in the world, football needs to be governed by respected millionaire former footballers and not career bureaucrats who just seem to want to line their own pockets.
This situation could deteriorate if Lord Coe was nominated as Blatter's successor (which wouldn't surprise me), on the other hand we might stand a chance of being awarded a future World Cup.
I will be interested in seeing how many people travel to Qatar for their World Cup because so far no sporting event I've ever seen from there has any atmosphere.
Maybe they'll offer discounted tickets to the Western Worlds' military ?
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Comment number 8.
At 16th Sep 2011, cyberFC wrote:Truth is what the football community is longing for. Even if it comes from an unlikely source - another corrupt FIFA official.
Whatever it takes to get rid of Blatter & Co.
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Comment number 9.
At 16th Sep 2011, blueShidoshi wrote:Walk away and people will forget your football crimes in due time just like NOONE is caring abt the used to be defensive warner jack lad probably cooling off in relative peace now except for bad business and finances indirectly plummeting
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Comment number 10.
At 16th Sep 2011, blueShidoshi wrote:@barristered millionaire soccer players run football? Like diego, zizu et al? I bet you'll long again for bureaucrats! Trust me
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At 16th Sep 2011, Bald and Proud wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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At 16th Sep 2011, MU_Andy_58 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 13.
At 16th Sep 2011, Terry Toil wrote:Poor David, you really do have the dullest story to report on. Can't you request a change?
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Comment number 14.
At 16th Sep 2011, Readitandweep wrote:hammam, blatter etc are all wonderful people, they do all the work for you during your working week so you can buy you and your kids tickets to watch there favourite team, they go in train and man manage the players week in week out, they drive the team bus to away games and if your team is in europe they fly the teams there themselves because they are such nice people and contribute alot to football on a weekly basis, they handmake every single football shirt worn by fans all across the globe, they they were once great players themselves so know the in's and out's of football as a sport. if it weren't for these people, football would collapse on itself. go old guys who run football that is no-one's to run anyway, you are my hero's if only i could have thought of a way to be in control of the biggest sport on earth to set myself up for life, all i had to do was tweek the rules now and then and fine people for the truth. oh you crafty old men, i salute you.
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Comment number 15.
At 16th Sep 2011, ReallyReal wrote:It's just one more thing in a VERY long list of controversies surrounding one of the most corrupt organisations on earth, we have the banking comunity and FIFA, both bloated with money, both overprotective of their own men, both known to mislead at any opportunity just to protect their own wealth and both with so much power and influence that the rest of the world will never get the whole truth, the sooner both these 'industries' collapse, the better for everyone else, even if it means a few years of real problems for everyone.
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