FIFA expresses concern over CAS decision in Bin Hammam case

FIFA has noted with concern the decision announced today by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the Mohamed Bin Hammam case. FIFA notes that the CAS verdict indicates that Mohamed Bin Hammam has not been proven innocent and that “it is more likely than not that the Appellant (Mohamed Bin Hammam) was at the source of the monies that were brought into Trinidad and Tobago and eventually distributed at the meeting” (of the Caribbean Football Union on 10 and 11 May 2011). Furthermore, in its conclusion, the CAS Panel notes that “FIFA was in the process of reforming its Ethics Committee and that, in the event new evidence relating to the present case was discovered, it would be possible to re-open the case, in order to complete the factual background properly and to establish if Mr Bin Hammam has committed any violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.” Moreover, FIFA has taken note of the decision by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) earlier this week to open a disciplinary case against Mohamed Bin Hammam and to provisionally suspend him from taking part in any football activity for another matter. The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee extended this provisional suspension to worldwide level yesterday, 18 July 2012. Therefore, Mohamed Bin Hammam remains suspended until the current case has been concluded. This new case being investigated by the relevant AFC bodies is based on a report from an international auditing company in relation to activities carried out over a number of years in the recent past, and also includes a number of irregularities. At FIFA level, all relevant files will now be handed over to the new FIFA Ethics Committee, which will start operating on 25 July 2012. The FIFA Ethics Committee will then decide based on the reports and evidence presented to it if any action is required to be taken against Mohamed Bin Hammam.