Bin Hammam case begins

LAUSANNE - Reuters

Sport’s highest tribunal met on April 19 to hear the appeal of former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam against his life ban from football for bribery.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing was due to last two days although a decision is not expected for several weeks.

Bin Hammam was absent from the hearing. He is represented by a team of American and Swiss lawyers.
Bin Hammam challenged Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency last year. He withdrew his candidacy and was then provisionally suspended days before the June election over allegations that he had tried to buy the votes of Caribbean officials. Blatter was subsequently re-elected as FIFA president, while Bin Hammam was found guilty of breaking seven articles of FIFA’s ethics code and was banned for life.