Ousted Bin Hammam loses appeal over lifetime football ban

Ousted Asian football chief Mohamed bin Hammam on Thursday lost his appeal against a lifetime ban from football, world governing body FIFA announced. The Qatari was slapped with the ban in July after he was found guilty of trying to buy votes in the FIFA presidential race by offering Caribbean football officials $40,000 each. He denied all the charges. "The FIFA Appeal Committee, under the chairmanship of Francisco Acosta (Ecuador), has confirmed the decisions taken by the FIFA Ethics Committee on July 23, 2011 regarding the ban on FIFA Executive Committee member Mohammed bin Hammam for a breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics," said a FIFA statement. "The appeal made by Mohammed bin Hammam has been rejected and the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee confirmed. The sanction of being banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at national and international level for life has therefore been maintained."