FIFA to investigate Warner, Bin Hammam

Mohamed bin Hammam is facing an ethics investigation just days before his attempt to unseat Sepp Blatter as FIFA president after a report alleging possible bribery rocked the election campaign on Wednesday

Bin Hammam, the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation and the only man running against Blatter in the June 1 vote, was one of four officials summoned by FIFA to appear before its ethics committee on Sunday following a report from fellow executive committee member Chuck Blazer.
FIFA said in a statement it had opened ethics proceedings against Jack Warner of Trinidad & Tobago, the president of the CONCACAF confederation, and two Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials as well as Bin Hammam.
Blazer's report, which included “bribery allegations”, referred to a CFU meeting which was attended by Warner and Bin Hammam on May 10/11 and was linked to the election campaign, FIFA said.
The meeting, held in Port of Spain in Trinidad & Tobago, was organised so Bin Hammam could state his election case to delegates as he was unable to attend the CONCACAF Congress in Miami on May 3 after being denied a visa for the United States.
Unlike last year's scandal, in which two executive committee members were banned following investigations by the Sunday Times newspaper, the allegations came from within FIFA for the first time.
Blazer, of the United States, is CONCACAF's general secretary.
CONCACAF, the North and Central America and Caribbean Confederation, holds 35 of the 208 votes at the FIFA Congress which will choose between Bin Hamman and incumbent President Blatter.
Warner has always been regarded as a staunch Blatter supporter but said that his confederation had not yet chosen who it would back this time.
FIFA would not comment on whether the election might now be postponed.
A spokesman for Blatter also said he would not comment and a Bin Hammam spokesman said any comment would come via his website.
POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS
“On May 24, FIFA executive committee member and CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer reported to FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke possible violations of the FIFA code of ethics allegedly committed by officials,” FIFA said in a statement.
“In view of the facts alleged in this report, which include bribery allegations, Jerome Valcke requested the FIFA Ethics Committee to open ethics proceedings.”
FIFA added that the ethics committee would be headed by Namibia's Petrus Damaseb as its usual chairman Claudio Sulser shares the same nationality as Swiss Blatter.
Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester have also been asked to attend the ethics committee hearing.
FIFA has been mired in corruption allegations since last year when two executive committee members were banned from all football-related activity for allegedly offering to sell their votes in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting contests to undercover newspaper reporters.
Earlier this month, a British parliamentary inquiry into why England failed to secure the 2018 finals was told by member of parliament Damian Collins there was evidence from the Sunday Times newspaper that Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast were paid by Qatar.
Qatar, chosen in December to host the 2022 World Cup ahead of the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea, have categorically denied the allegations as have Hayatou and Anouma.
Blatter, standing for a fourth term, already has the support of Europe, Africa, South America and Oceania.