FIFA Extends Ban Against Mohamed Bin Hammam for Another 45 Days

FIFA has extended its provisional suspension of Mohamed Bin Hammam for another 45 days, soccer’s ruling body said.

Bin Hammam, the former head of the Asian Football Confederation, was banned for life by FIFA for allegedly bribing officials in his bid for the group’s presidency. That was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 19.

Two days earlier, the Qatari was also provisionally suspended for 30 days by the Asian confederation after an audit of the body’s accounts. FIFA then banned him for 90 days and extended the term today, under a clause in its ethics code that allows it to do so in exceptional circumstances. It didn’t specify a reason.

“It is astounding that FIFA is able to keep extending its ban on the football activities of Mr. Bin Hammam, as it sees fit,” Eugene Gulland, Bin Hammam’s lawyer, said in a statement. “FIFA’s latest extension order fails to give any reasons to justify its action. The basic tenet of law is that a person is innocent until proven guilty after a trial conducted according to due process.”

Gulland said in the statement that FIFA’s actions are political because Bin Hammam ran against Sepp Blatter in the body’s presidential election last year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Bensch in London at bbensch@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net.