Bin Hammam appeal against FIFA ban begins
Reuters - Wednesday 18 April 2012, 14:45
Sport's highest
tribunal met on Wednesday to hear the appeal of former FIFA
presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam against his life ban
from football for bribery.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing was due to
last two days although a decision is not expected for several
weeks.
Bin Hammam was not among the officials who entered the
building for the hearing, a Reuters television cameraman at the
scene said. Sources close to the hearing said the Qatari former
head of the Asian Football Confederation would not attend.
Instead, he would be represented by his team of American and
Swiss lawyers.
Bin Hammam challenged Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency
last year.
He withdrew his candidacy and was then provisionally
suspended days before the June election over allegations that he
had tried to buy the votes of Caribbean officials by handing
them $40,000 each in brown envelopes.
Blatter was subsequently re-elected unopposed for a fourth
term as FIFA president, while Bin Hammam was found guilty of
breaking seven articles of FIFA's ethics code, including one on
bribery.
He was banned for life and subsequently lost an appeal at
FIFA.