The woes continue for FIFA, Qatar and Mohamed bin Hammam.
Bin Hammam is now banned from all FIFA business pending an investigation into the allegations that he paid Caribbean soccer leader $40,000 cash to support Bin Hammam’s presidential bid.
UPDATE: Bin Hammam announces he will appeal his suspension in connection with a bribery scandal. He released a statement Monday saying he was being, “punished before I am found guilty,” and that “the way these proceedings have been conducted is absolutely not compliant with any principles of justice.”
Reports continue to surface that there was already unrest within FIFA about Bin Hammam regarding the legitimacy of the Qatar 2022 World Cup selection.
FIFA’s Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, confirmed he sent an email suggesting Qatar had “bought” the right to host the 2022 World Cup, according to The Associated Press.
The email, made public by suspended FIFA Vice President, Jack Warner, from Valcke included statements: “I never understood why he was running” and “he thought you can buy FIFA as they (Qatar) bought the WC.”
Both statements pertained to Bin Hammam and Valke confirmed he was answering the question: Should he ask Bon Hammam to pull out of the election.
This news, on the heels that China’s Zhang Jilong will replace Bin Hammam as president of the Asian Football Confederation.
According to the Confederations statutes, if the AFC president “ceases to carry out or is prevented from” performing his duties, then the senior vice president takes over.
Right now, Zhang hols that position.
Zhang is also the vice president of the Chinese Football Association.
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