Bin Hammam suspension extended

ZURICH - Reuters

FIFA’s ethics committee has completed its latest investigation into former presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam and extended his provisional ban pending a final verdict, football’s world governing body said on Dec. 6.

Bin Hammam’s life ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July but FIFA launched a new probe one week later as it searched for fresh evidence and banned him again.

Michael Garcia, head of the ethics committee’s investigatory chamber, completed his investigation on Dec. 4 and sent the files to Hans-Joachim Eckert, head of the adjudicatory chamber, FIFA said.

Former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Bin Hammam has been given until mid-January to respond to the charges in the report. His provisional 45-day ban, due to end on Dec. 7, was extended due to the “seriousness of the alleged violations.”

Bin Hammam was accused of trying to buy the presidential votes of Caribbean officials before he was due to challenge Sepp Blatter in last year’s FIFA presidential election. He withdrew his candidacy and was subsequently banned pending investigations. Bin Hammam was then banned for life after being found guilty of breaking seven articles of FIFA’s ethics code, including one on bribery.