KUALA LUMPUR: An audit of Asian Football Confederation accounts has claimed that Mohamed Bin Hammam handed hundreds of thousands of dollars to friends and relatives.
The 63-year-old Qatari – whose football life ban was overturned this past week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport – had allegedly used AFC funds for his own purposes. He was suspended last week for a month by the AFC pending further inquiries.
The audit was prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers and has been widely leaked. It stated: “It is highly unusual for funds (especially in the amounts detailed here) that appear to be for the benefit of Mr Hammam personally, to be deposited to an organization’s bank account.”
Bin Hammam was said to have received millions of dollars from individuals linked to AFC contracts and spent tens of thousands of dollars on items including a honeymoon for his son and dental work, haircuts and cash payments for his family.
It found he spent $700,000 from AFC coffers on himself and his family, including $100,000 for his wife, $10,000 on a Bulgari watch for himself and nearly $5,000 for his daughter’s cosmetic dentistry.
Payments were also made to Asian, African and Caribbean soccer officials, including $250,000 to Jack Warner, the former president of the Central and North American confederation, CONCACAF.
Bin Hammam’s United States lawyer described the allegations were a FIFA tactic to block his return to a position of power in world football.
A statement issued by Eugene Gulland said: “If there were ever any question about the political motives behind FIFA’s vendetta against Mr Bin Hammam, it has been answered by the outrageous and baseless new charges that FIFA and AFC are bringing against him.”
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