LAUSANNE: Husain Al-Musallam has denied any involvement in wrongdoing after being apparently implicated in the FIFAGate investigation being run by the United States Department of Justice writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Al-Musallam is first vice-president of world swimming federation FINA and secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia and, as such, a close associate of Kuwaiti sports powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

Sheikh Ahmad, who heads the OCA, the Association of National Olympic Committees and Olympic Solidarity, quit his football roles on the FIFA Council and Asian confederation executive at the weekend. This followed his own apparent identification as a ‘co-conspirator’ over bribery allegations.

The identifications emerged from descriptions in a US indictment based on admissions of guilt by Richard Lai, a senior AFC director and head of the Guam Football Association.

Al-Musallam, a close ally of Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, who has also strongly refuted suggestions he was involved after he appeared to have been identified by the DoJ as “co-conspirator number two”, is director general of the OCA and a key member of the KFA.

Sheikh Ahmad, the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the OCA, resigned as a member of the FIFA Council and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee on Sunday (April 30) in the wake of his alleged link to the ongoing FIFA corruption probe.

Al-Musallam has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, saying: “This is an OCA internal matter. As soon as I heard the news I asked the OCA Ethics Committee to investigate.  They are now investigating and will make public any facts. We have all the documents to prove our position.”

FINA has said it will “take all measures deemed necessary” concerning “media reports concerning the allegations against its first vice president, Husain al-Musallam.”

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