Bin Hammam's fury at Blatter

Mohamed Bin Hammam lashed out at Sepp Blatter, accusing him of being a "dictator" and a "tyrant".

Mohamed bin Hammam has vowed to clear his name and get his life ban from Fifa of being involved in any form of football overturned.

Mohamed bin Hammam, the banned Asian football chief has likened Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, to a "dictator", and said giving gifts was commonplace within the organisation.

The 62-year-old former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president was banned from the game for life on Saturday following a two-day Fifa ethics committee hearing.

Bin Hammam had been accused of seeking to buy votes in the Fifa presidential election by offering cash gifts of US$40,000 (Dh146,910) each to delegates at a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) get-together in Trinidad in May.

He has pledged to appeal the decision.

The Qatari reacted to his ban by publishing a scanned copy of a personal letter sent to him by Blatter in 2008 on his personal blog, demonstrating the extent to which he felt betrayed by the 75-year-old Swiss.

He returned to the theme in an interview in Doha with Britain's Sky News, which was broadcast yesterday, in which he compared Blatter to a tyrant.

"When you are in a position to lead, the leader usually doesn't revenge," he said. "This is actually the act of the dictators, and you have witnessed through history the dictators, when they think this or that person is a prominent one to replace him, the first thing they do is execute him.

"And they try to fabricate any allegation against him, to jail him or something like that.

"So I mean usually - I don't know whether Mr Blatter considers himself a leader or not - but the leader doesn't revenge."

Bin Hammam also said that gift-giving was a routine practice in Fifa and that exchanging presents with other members of the organisation should not be regarded as attempted bribery.

"This is a normal, normal, normal practice," he said. "I'm telling you again, I did not give any cash gifts to anybody but these are normal." Pointing to his wrist watch, he said: "This watch is a gift."

Despite his claims, bin Hammam said "he had nothing to do with" the cash-filled envelopes allegedly distributed to the CFU officials.

Bin Hammam's suspension by Fifa on May 29 led to his withdrawal from the presidential election, thereby handing Blatter a fourth consecutive term in office.

In a letter to AFC members published on his blog yesterday, bin Hammam said that he was not ready to relinquish his role at the head of the organisation.

"I have all the right to fight against this shameful accusation until I clear my name," he wrote.

"That means I will not render my resignation as AFC President and Fifa member representing Asia as far as the legal proceedings are continuing."

In a statement to the media published on his blog late on Sunday evening, bin Hammam had reiterated his claim that Fifa had no concrete evidence that he was guilty of bribery.

Bin Hammam also refuted allegations that he had not co-operated with the ethics committee's investigation and said he had "made my bank account statements available" to them.

He has confirmed that he will appeal in the first instance to Fifa's appeal committee, and if that fails he has vowed to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Meanwhile, three Fifa executive committee members and up to 15 Caribbean associations could face a new investigation over the bribery scandal.

Judge Petrus Damaseb, the deputy chairman of Fifa's ethics commission, has asked Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke to consider a new inquiry into some of those that attended the meeting in Trinidad.

The three members who accompanied bin Hammam on his private jet were Manilal Fernando from Sri Lanka, Worawi Makudi from Thailand and Hany Abo Rida from Egypt.

All three have told investigators they did not see cash gifts being offered, nor was there any talk of that taking place.

* Agencies