Bin Hammam: Bring the evidence.
By Ian Prescott (Express).
FIFA VICE-PRESIDENT Jack Warner was yesterday defended against corruption allegations by Mohammed Bin Hammam, the man who is seeking his favour in a bid to become president of world football's governing body.
Bin Hammam is challenging incumbent Sepp Blatter for the top FIFA post, and is courting the 35 votes available to the Caribbean, North and Central America (CONCACAF) region, of which Warner is president.
"What I think, seriously, is FIFA is not corrupt," Bin Hammam told local media yesterday, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain." We are victims of the popularity of the game."
Yesterday, 63-year-old Bin Hammam addressed 30 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) delegates at the Hyatt , hoping to sway their votes ahead of the FIFA Congress on June 1. Bin Hammam, considered a long outsider, believes he has a chance to become FIFA president. He said if he did not run for president now, he may never do it because of his age. His opponent, Blatter already has the support of Europe, while CONCACAF will likely reveal their choice a day before the congress. It is widely expected that CONCACAF will support Blatter. However, Warner, the CONCACAF president, said that while there were no complaints about Blatter, they wanted to give Bin Hammam the opportunity to be heard since the Qatar native could not get a U.S. visa in time for the recent CONCACAF congress.
In England's Daily Mail newspaper, yesterday, Warner, Paraguay's FIFA official Nicholas Leoz and Brazil's Ricardo Teixeira were accused of seeking gifts in exchange for their votes, ahead of England's failed 2018 World Cup bid. Former England bid chairman, Lord Triesman accused Warner of requesting £2.5 million to build an education centre in Trinidad, and £500,000 to buy Haiti's World Cup rights. It was also reported that Leoz sought a knighthood and Teixeira asked the Englishman to "come and tell me what you have got for me". When quizzed about his thoughts on the matter, Bin Hammam said such accusations must be backed by evidence.
"You need, and I need, and the court needs the evidence," Bin Hammam said. "The evidence is very important. When you come with accusations bring the evidence."
Previously, Warner was reprimanded by FIFA over a 2006 World Cup ticket scandal involving his family. Yesterday, he denied seeking gifts from England. Warner said when the English delegation came to Trinidad, he took them to Longdenville, Chaguanas, where they offered to help by building a playground for the people of that community.
"I never asked anybody for anything," Warner declared. "At the end of the day, I hold my head high. At the end of the day I could stand up and say to the world I never asked for this."
Warner said it is no coincidence that fresh corruption allegations have been made against him on the eve of the FIFA Congress.
"We have a FIFA Congress in three weeks...this comes before Jennings," Warner said, in reference to English journalist Andrew Jennings, who has accused him of corruption several times.
"Next week we will have Jennings, who will come with another bit of garbage about Jack Warner, FIFA and Blatter, because of the timing. Jennings will come in the next two weeks. The important thing is that nobody really take these guys seriously."
Warner also tore into Lord Triesman, saying the Englishman had already been discredited and fired by the English FA. He said too that what England should consider is that except for their own representative, not one FIFA member from Europe voted for England to host the 2018 World Cup.
