Bin Hammam vows to clear name

Mohamed bin Hammam
12 April 2012

Mohamed bin Hammam has vowed to clear his name when he appears before the FIFA ethics committee later on Sunday after withdrawing from the presidential election.

The president of the Asian Football Confederation, Bin Hammam, and his rival in the election, current FIFA president Sepp Blatter, are both under investigation amid bribery allegations. Bin Hammam had campaigned for the presidency on a promise to make FIFA more transparent but there now looks to be no need for a vote following his decision to withdraw.

He said: "I pray that my withdrawal will not be tied to the investigation held by the FIFA Ethics Committee as I will appear before the Ethics Committee to clear my name from the baseless allegations that have been made against me. I promise those who stood by me that I will walk with my head held high and will continue to fight for the good of the game."

He added: "I have a special thank you to my friend and colleague Jack Warner for his unlimited support. I am sorry to see that he has to suffer because of me, but I am promising him that I will be with him all the way through thick and thin.

"I look forward to working closely with my colleagues to restore FIFA's reputation to what it should be - a protector of the game that has credibility through honesty, transparency and accountability."

"I made the decision to run for the FIFA presidency because I was and remain committed to change within FIFA.

"I set out my goals and ambitions clearly - to further the cause of democracy within FIFA - through a commitment to transparency and accountability; through a commitment to expand the number of officials and nations involved in decision-making processes.

"In addition to this, I wanted to spark a debate about change in FIFA. For the good of football, I wanted the future to be bright for our world's governing body and for it to adapt to the ever-changing world we live in today. However, recent events have left me hurt and disappointed - on a professional and personal level."

"It saddens me that standing up for the causes that I believed in has come at a great price - the degradation of FIFA's reputation. This is not what I had in mind for FIFA and this is unacceptable. I cannot allow the name that I loved to be dragged more and more in the mud because of competition between two individuals.

"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."

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