FIFA election
May 29, 2011
Mohamed bin Hammam, the head of the Asian Football Confederation and the only challenger to incumbent FIFA President Sepp Blatter, has withdrawn from the presidential race just days before the vote and ahead of a hearing he is to attend on Sunday to respond to bribery charges.
"I cannot allow the name that I loved to be dragged more and more in the mud because of competition between two individuals," Bin Hammam, who is from Qatar, said in a statement on his website.
"The game itself and the people who love it around the world must come first. It is for this reason that I announce my withdrawal from the presidential election. I will not put my personal ambition ahead of FIFA's dignity and integrity."
Marred by scandal
Both bin Hammam and Blatter are due to appear before FIFA's ethics committee on Sunday.
Along with Vice President Jack Warner, they are suspected of bribery, or in Blatter's case, condoning bribery. It is alleged to have happened during a meeting with Caribbean members of the Caribbean and central American soccer confederation, CONCACAF, on May 10-11, as part of bin Hamman's election campaign.
Sunday's hearing could delay FIFA's presidential election, which is due to take place on Wednesday, June 1, in Zurich.
Soccer's worldwide governing body FIFA has been marred by allegations of bribery, the first of which emerged late last year in the wake of the selection of the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups.
Following allegations by the press, FIFA's ethics committee suspended two executive committee members ahead of the vote, in which Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) were picked
This year, a British parliamentary committee was told by the former chairman of England's Football Association (FA), Lord Triesman, that four FIFA executives asked for bribes to support England's 2018 bid, and that two were accused of receiving $1.5 million (1 million euros) from Qatar's bid.
Both Qatar and the executives strongly deny the accusations.
Author: Nicole Goebel (Reuters, AFP)
Editor: Kyle James