Mohamed Bin Hammam maintains his innocence and vows to fight life ban imposed by FIFA

Posted Sunday, July 24, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Former Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam claims he will fight the life ban from football imposed on him at Saturday's Fifa Ethics Committee meeting.

The 62-year-old Qatari was handed a lifetime ban for corruption, pertaining to bribery charges in the lead up to the recent FIFA presidental election which he withdrew from on the eve of the vote.

However, Bin Hammam wrote on Twitter and his personal website that he intends to appeal the ban.

"This is just the battle, not the war," Bin Hammam said.

"I reject the findings and maintain my innocence and will continue to fight through the legal routes available. We are confident of the strength of our case and invite FIFA to make available now to the media a full transcript of these proceedings."

Bin Hammam's lawyer, Eugene Galland, said the conclusions of the FIFA Ethics Committee were unfounded and needed to be challenged.

"The FIFA ethics committee has apparently based their decision upon so-called 'circumstantial' evidence, which our case has clearly demonstrated was bogus and founded on lies told by a senior Fifa official," Gulland said.

"FIFA, either directly or through third parties, with selective and continual leaking of documentation that have been part of these proceedings to the media, influence public opinion and create bias."