Mohammed Bin Hammam
Encyclopedia
Mohamed bin Hammam is a Qatari who was formerly a football administrator and president of the Asian Football Confederation
from 1 August 2002 to 14 June 2011, and a member of FIFA's 24-man executive committee from 1996 to 2011 for more than 15 years. On 23 July 2011, bin Hammam was banned for life from all FIFA
and football related activities by an action of its Ethics Committee.
, Qatar
. His father was a businessman and his mother was a nurse. He has two sons, Hamad, who lives in Washington, D.C., and Ziad. He worked in Qatar's football confederation from 1972 to 1996.
and the acceptance of Australia
into the AFC. He has also initiated the strategic development program called Vision Asia extreme golf club. He has been a FIFA
Executive Member since 1996.
He has opposed the participation of the Wellington Phoenix
team in the Asian Champions League. He was re-elected once again in 5 January 2011.
In March 2011, he called upon Arab
and Muslim
nations to play the Palestine national football team
at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium
: "I hope that all Arab and Muslim teams will come here to play matches against Palestine
at their own home ground". A number of regional football squads had rejected the idea of playing there as it could be seen as tantamount to accepting the Israeli right to the West Bank
.
As well as being the president of the Asian Football Confederation, he is also the chairman of the Fifa Goal Bureau, whose grants provide financial support for member associations across the world. He was also influential in bringing the 2022 FIFA World Cup
to his native Qatar.
, Mohammed bin Hammam stated he might run against the incumbent president Sepp Blatter
for the presidency of FIFA which will be decided during the 61st FIFA Congress
between 31st May and 1st June 2011. He told the Guardian: "People have to try change. Change is good." Bin Hammam said that Blatter was "an experienced person, he has made significant contribution to football worldwide but I believe there is a time limit for everything. There is now a time for a new face and a new heir." Bin Hammam had supported Blatter's 1998 and 2002 presidential campaigns but admitted that he had fallen out with Blatter over issues within the FIFA Executive Committee
. In August 2010 Bin Hamman had vowed not to run against Blatter saying that "I will be backing him to remain in office for a new mandate. He is my very good friend".
Following the 10 May 2011 meeting of the CFU
, the Bahamas Football Association
officially reported allegations of attempted bribery at the meeting to Chuck Blazer
a FIFA
Executive Committee member and General Secretary of CONCACAF
. Blazer initiated an official investigation. As a result of the investigations preliminary findings, Bin Hammam was charged with offering bribes for votes and appeared before FIFA's ethics committee on the 29th May. Bin Hammam withdrew from the presidential race the day before the ethics committee meeting, leaving Blatter to run unopposed.
On 29 May 2011, FIFA's ethics committee suspended Bin Hammam and Jack Warner temporarily from all football-related activity pending the outcome of a full inquiry into accusations that they offered financial incentives to members of the Caribbean Football Union
. Bin Hammam said that he would appeal against the committees decision to previsionally ban him from football related activity, saying that "The way these proceedings have been conducted is not compliant with any principles of justice." He also issued a statement calling for his reinstatement as well as responding to the claims in detail.
On 23 July 2011, Bin Hammam was banned for life from all football activities by a five-member panel of the FIFA
Ethics committee chaired by Petrus Damaseb
. The committee found that his actions violated the organization' ethics rules after studying the reports of investigators and hearing the testimony of witnesses from the May 2011 meeting who were also cross examined by Bin Hammam's legal representatives.,, Bin Hammam appealed against his ban, his appeal was rejected by the FIFA Appeal Committee.
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
from 1 August 2002 to 14 June 2011, and a member of FIFA's 24-man executive committee from 1996 to 2011 for more than 15 years. On 23 July 2011, bin Hammam was banned for life from all FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
and football related activities by an action of its Ethics Committee.
Early life
He was born on 8 May 1949 in DohaDoha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
. His father was a businessman and his mother was a nurse. He has two sons, Hamad, who lives in Washington, D.C., and Ziad. He worked in Qatar's football confederation from 1972 to 1996.
Presidency of AFC
During his time at the helm, he has overseen the creation of the AFC Champions LeagueAFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
and the acceptance of Australia
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
into the AFC. He has also initiated the strategic development program called Vision Asia extreme golf club. He has been a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Executive Member since 1996.
He has opposed the participation of the Wellington Phoenix
Wellington Phoenix FC
Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. The club competes in the Football Federation of Australia A-League. Ricki Herbert has been the coach since the club's inception to the A-League in July 2007. The current club captain is...
team in the Asian Champions League. He was re-elected once again in 5 January 2011.
In March 2011, he called upon Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
nations to play the Palestine national football team
Palestine national football team
The Palestine national football team is the national team of the Palestinian Football Association, representing the Palestinian National Authority.The Palestine Football Federation was founded in 1952...
at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium
Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium
Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium is an association football stadium in Al-Ram, West Bank. It is the home stadium of the Palestine national football team. It is named for Faisal Husseini, a Palestinian politician who died in 2001...
: "I hope that all Arab and Muslim teams will come here to play matches against Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
at their own home ground". A number of regional football squads had rejected the idea of playing there as it could be seen as tantamount to accepting the Israeli right to the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
.
As well as being the president of the Asian Football Confederation, he is also the chairman of the Fifa Goal Bureau, whose grants provide financial support for member associations across the world. He was also influential in bringing the 2022 FIFA World Cup
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the 22nd FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2022 in Qatar. The competition is scheduled to take place in June and July, although proposals have been made for a winter season. The tournament will involve...
to his native Qatar.
2011 FIFA presidential election
In an interview with The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Mohammed bin Hammam stated he might run against the incumbent president Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
for the presidency of FIFA which will be decided during the 61st FIFA Congress
61st FIFA Congress
The 61st FIFA Congress was held between 31 May and 1 June 2011 at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland. FIFA is the governing body of world association football, and the congress is the annual meeting of FIFA's supreme legislative body. This is the eighth congress to be held in Zurich, and the...
between 31st May and 1st June 2011. He told the Guardian: "People have to try change. Change is good." Bin Hammam said that Blatter was "an experienced person, he has made significant contribution to football worldwide but I believe there is a time limit for everything. There is now a time for a new face and a new heir." Bin Hammam had supported Blatter's 1998 and 2002 presidential campaigns but admitted that he had fallen out with Blatter over issues within the FIFA Executive Committee
FIFA Executive Committee
FIFA Executive Committee is an institution of FIFA . It is the main decision-making body of the organization in the intervals of Congress...
. In August 2010 Bin Hamman had vowed not to run against Blatter saying that "I will be backing him to remain in office for a new mandate. He is my very good friend".
Following the 10 May 2011 meeting of the CFU
Caribbean Football Union
The Caribbean Football Union, often referred to by the acronym CFU, is the nominal governing body for Caribbean football. It represents 25 FIFA member nations, as well as 5 territories that are not affiliated to FIFA. Its member associations compete in the CONCACAF region...
, the Bahamas Football Association
Bahamas Football Association
The Bahamas Football Association is the official football federation in The Bahamas. It was founded in 1967 for men, women, and children to learn more about football. It affiliated with FIFA in 1968 and CONCACAF in 1981. The headquarters are in Nassau. The federation is also in charge of its...
officially reported allegations of attempted bribery at the meeting to Chuck Blazer
Chuck Blazer
Charles "Chuck" Blazer is an American soccer administrator.He has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1996, and served as Commissioner of the American Soccer League and Executive Vice President of the United States Soccer Federation...
a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Executive Committee member and General Secretary of CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
. Blazer initiated an official investigation. As a result of the investigations preliminary findings, Bin Hammam was charged with offering bribes for votes and appeared before FIFA's ethics committee on the 29th May. Bin Hammam withdrew from the presidential race the day before the ethics committee meeting, leaving Blatter to run unopposed.
On 29 May 2011, FIFA's ethics committee suspended Bin Hammam and Jack Warner temporarily from all football-related activity pending the outcome of a full inquiry into accusations that they offered financial incentives to members of the Caribbean Football Union
Caribbean Football Union
The Caribbean Football Union, often referred to by the acronym CFU, is the nominal governing body for Caribbean football. It represents 25 FIFA member nations, as well as 5 territories that are not affiliated to FIFA. Its member associations compete in the CONCACAF region...
. Bin Hammam said that he would appeal against the committees decision to previsionally ban him from football related activity, saying that "The way these proceedings have been conducted is not compliant with any principles of justice." He also issued a statement calling for his reinstatement as well as responding to the claims in detail.
On 23 July 2011, Bin Hammam was banned for life from all football activities by a five-member panel of the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Ethics committee chaired by Petrus Damaseb
Petrus Damaseb
Petrus Tileinge Damaseb is a Namibian judge.-Education:Damaseb studied at schools in Tsumeb, Grootfontein and Uis prior to joining the liberation struggle and going into exile in Zambia. In Zambia, he studied at the United Nations Institute for Namibia and obtained a Diploma in Development...
. The committee found that his actions violated the organization' ethics rules after studying the reports of investigators and hearing the testimony of witnesses from the May 2011 meeting who were also cross examined by Bin Hammam's legal representatives.,, Bin Hammam appealed against his ban, his appeal was rejected by the FIFA Appeal Committee.