Bin Hammam pulls out of presidency race
442 Staff - Sunday 29 May 2011, 01:08
LONDON - Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar
withdrew his candidacy for the post of FIFA president on
Saturday, one day before he is due to face an Ethics Committee
hearing into bribery allegations.
Bin Hammam, 62, president of the Asian Football
Confederation, was due to stand against incumbent Sepp Blatter
in the election to choose the head of world football's governing
body at FIFA's Congress in Zurich on Wednesday.
Blatter and Jack Warner, the president of CONCACAF, who has
also been implicated in the bribery allegations, are also due to
face the Ethics Committee on Sunday.
In his statement, Bin Hammam said: "I made the decision to
run for the FIFA presidency because I was and remain committed
to change within FIFA.
"I set out my goals and ambitions clearly - to further the
cause of democracy within FIFA through a commitment to
transparency and accountability; through a commitment to expand
the number of officials and nations involved in decision-making
processes.
"In addition to this, I wanted to spark a debate about
change in FIFA. For the good of football, I wanted the future
to be bright for our world's governing body and for it to adapt
to the ever-changing world we live in today.
"However, recent events have left me hurt and disappointed
- on a professional and personal level.
"It saddens me that standing up for the causes that I
believed in has come at a great price - the degradation of
FIFA's reputation. This is not what I had in mind for FIFA and
this is unacceptable.
"I cannot allow the name that I loved to be dragged more and
more in the mud because of competition between two individuals.
"The game itself and the people who love it around the world
must come first.
"It is for this reason that I announce my withdrawal from
the presidential election.
ONE CANDIDATE
With Bin Hammam now out of the presidential race, Blatter
should be re-elected as president for a fourth term by
acclamation of the 208-member Congress, but that is by no means
certain and depends on what happens on Sunday.
Warner, head of the confederation for North and Central
America and the Caribbean, predicted in his native Trinidad &
Tobago on Saturday that a "football tsunami" was about to strike football's beleaguered world governing body.
All three men are being probed over a report by another FIFA Executive Committee member, Chuck Blazer of the United States,
relating to a meeting between Caribbean officials, Warner and
Bin Hammam in Port of Spain earlier this month, linked to the
election campaign.
The report said there had been possible violations of the
FIFA ethics code including "bribery allegations."
Bin Hammam and Warner have denied wrongdoing and Blatter
said "the facts will speak for themselves."
In his statement on Saturday, Bin Hammam added: "I will not
put my personal ambition ahead of FIFA's dignity and integrity.
"Besides, I believe my candidacy has been a catalyst for
debate within FIFA and has brought change to the top of the
agenda.
"I pray that my withdrawal will not be tied to the
investigation held by the FIFA Ethics Committee as I will appear
before the Ethics Committee to clear my name from the baseless
allegations that have been made against me."
He continued: "I promise those who stood by me that I will
walk with my head held high and will continue to fight for the
good of the game.
"I would like to offer my thanks and appreciation to all
Member Associations and individuals who supported me. I hope
that they will not receive my decision with disappointment and
frustration.
"I have a special thank you to my friend and colleague Jack
Warner for his unlimited support. I am sorry to see that he has
to suffer because of me, but I am promising him that I will be
with him all the way through thick and thin.
"I look forward to working closely with my colleagues to
restore FIFA's reputation to what it should be - a protector of
the game that has credibility through honesty, transparency and
accountability."