DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Mohamed bin Hammam said accusations he enriched his family and supporters while president of Asian soccer are politically motivated and that he plans to fight “this clear abuse of power and process at the hand of FIFA.”
In a letter to 20 Asian associations, bin Hammam confirmed he made payments to soccer officials and others but said they came out of his own bank accounts and were driven by a desire to help those in need — including Zhang Jilong, the current AFC president who ordered the PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit that instigated the investigation by FIFA’s ethics committee. ...
In a letter to 20 Asian associations, bin Hammam confirmed he made payments to soccer officials and others but said they came out of his own bank accounts and were driven by a desire to help those in need — including Zhang Jilong, the current AFC president who ordered the PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit that instigated the investigation by FIFA’s ethics committee. ...
See the whole article here, courtesy of the Washington Post.
Kicking Back Comments: Uh ... of course the charges are trumped up. This is far more about a PR campaign than anything else. FIFA will try to make an example of Bin Hammam to make themselves look better. FIFA needs the image lift, but I am unconvinced this is the way to do it.
Now, I don't think this will go to a trial of any sort as it gives Bin Hammam and equal opportunity to decry FIFA's behavior, and something tells me FIFA will not be happy about that. If I had to guess, this will eventually "just go away" which will ultimately suit FIFA just fine.
A good read, and gives some context as to the depth of the controversy.
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