FIFA starts bribery probe
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Warner (left) and Bin Hammam have been called to a hearing on 29 May. |
FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam and controversial CONCACAF chief Jack Warner have been summoned to face the governing body's ethics commission over bribery allegations.
The pair will appear before Fifa's ethics committee on Sunday, and could face long bans if the allegations – made by fellow executive committee member Chuck Blazer – are proved.
Blazer, who is the general secretary of the CONCACAF federation, has alleged that violations were committed under the FIFA code of ethics during a meeting organised by Bin Hammam and Warner on May 10 and 11 in relation to the upcoming FIFA presidential election, which takes place on June 1.
According to the Press Association news agency, a file has been sent to Fifa which includes sworn affidavits by several Caribbean Football Union (CFU) members, who claim they were offered thousands of dollars in cash for "development projects" at the meeting earlier this month.
The file, which includes photographs, says some of the cash was accepted, but some of those who refused to take any money approached Blazer.
Bin Hammam is the president of the Asian Football Confederation and is running against Sepp Blatter to be the new president of football's governing body.
Hammam dismissed allegations
Bin Hammam has has dismissed?the allegations of bribery as an attempt to discredit him ahead of next week's election.
"This has been a difficult and painful day for me," reads a statement on his website. "But, if there is 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.
"I am confident that there is no charge to answer and that I will be free to stand in the FIFA presidential election on June 1 as originally planned."
