Mohamed Bin Hammam to appeal Fifa suspension

ZURICH // The former Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam said he will appeal his suspension by football's governing body over corruption allegations.

A statement issued by Bin Hammam's office said the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation was seeking to have his suspension from Fifa's ethics committee lifted ahead of the Fifa congress tomorrow.

Bin Hammam abandoned his bid to run against the Fifa president Sepp Blatter early yesterday, just hours before he was suspended by the ethics committee pending the outcome of a corruption investigation.

"The way these proceedings have been conducted is absolutely not compliant with any principles of justice," bin Hammam said. "I am punished before I am found guilty."

Bin Hammam also accused the Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke of political bias in his battle with Blatter, and questioned whether the impartiality of the corruption investigation launched against him.

"I get the impression that the outcome of these proceedings had been defined from the very beginning as it has been made evident at the press conference on Sunday evening at which Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke showed his bias very clearly," bin Hammam said.

"This is not acceptable as the Fifa Ethics Committee is supposed to be a fully independent body. Therefore, I also expect the further investigation to be influenced and manipulated."