Story highlights
Mohamed Bin Hammam resigns from his roles with FIFA, soccer's governing body
FIFA statement says Bin Hammam will never be active in organized football again
The Qatari has been in dispute with FIFA since being found guilty of bribery in July 2011
Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld bin Hammam's appeal against punishment
Mohamed Bin Hammam has resigned from his roles within FIFA and will never be active in organized football again, soccer’s world governing body has announced.
The Qatari was president of the Asian Football Confederation between August 2002 and August 2011 and had a place on the FIFA Executive Committee.
Bin Hammam was accused of issuing bribes to members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), including former North American soccer head Jack Warner, in exchanges for votes during his ill-fated FIFA presidential campaign against current chief Sepp Blatter.
He denied the charges and vowed to clear his name. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) subsequently annulled his lifetime ban from FIFA based on a lack of evidence, though the body stressed the 63-year-old had not been found innocent.
Read: Bin Hammam’s FIFA ban overturned
But FIFA said Bin Hammam has resigned with immediate effect from all his roles in a letter dated December 15 and that his life ban was based on a report by Michael Garcia, chair of their Ethics Committee.
A statement on FIFA’s website read: “Mohamed Bin Hammam, FIFA Executive Committee member and AFC President, has resigned from all his positions in football with immediate effect and will never be active in organised football again.
“In view of the fact that under the new FIFA Code of Ethics, the FIFA Ethics Committee remains competent to render a decision even if a person resigns, the Adjudicatory Chamber decided to ban Mohamed Bin Hammam from all football-related activity for life.
“This life ban is based on the final report of Michael J. Garcia, Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.
“That report showed repeated violations of Article 19 (Conflict of Interest) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, edition 2012, of Mohamed Bin Hammam during his terms as AFC President and as member of the FIFA Executive Committee in the years 2008 to 2011, which justified a life-long ban from all football related activity.”
Bin Hammam emerged as the only challenger to Blatter in FIFA’s presidential elections back in June 2011 but withdrew 24 hours before the ballot after being provisionally suspended by the organization.
Blatter, who was cleared by the same inquiry, stood unopposed to win his third straight term as head of the governing body.
The accusations centered around a meeting of Caribbean officials in Trinidad where it is alleged the Qatari offered cash for votes. He has consistently denied the claims.
But his resignation signals the end of his involvement in the running of football.