Mohamed Bin Hammam has called for Fifa president Sepp Blatter to be included in the current bribery investigation.
Blatter denies trying to smear his opponent's name
Mohamed Bin Hammam has called for Fifa president Sepp Blatter to be included in the current bribery investigation.
Asian football chief Bin Hammam and Jack Warner are to appear before Fifa's ethics committee on Sunday to face
bribery allegations and both men have denied wrongdoing and suggested they are victims of an election tactic.
Blatter, who is standing against Bin Hammam in the Fifa presidential election next week, has expressed his sadness at the corruption charges levelled against Bin Hammam.
He has also rubbished suggestions he had anything to do with bringing the allegations to light, insisting there is no campaign in place to smear his opponent's name.
"To now assume that the present ordeal of my opponent were to fill me with some sort of perverse satisfaction or that this entire matter was somehow masterminded by me is ludicrous and completely reprehensible," Blatter said in his column on
insideworldfootball.biz.
"I am shocked, saddened and deeply unhappy about the charges levelled against a man whose friendship I enjoyed for many years.
"It gives me no pleasure to see him suffer public disgrace before an investigation would even have started."
However, Bin Hammam has now demanded that Blatter's conduct also be examined.
"As the recent accusations also mention incumbent Fifa president Joseph Blatter, Mohamed Bin Hammam has requested that the investigation be extended to include Mr Blatter," a statement from his spokesman said.
Bin Hammam does not believe it is a coincidence that these allegations have surfaced just days before the election.
"The timing of the accusations so close to the election of the Fifa president on June 1, 2011 suggests that they are part of a plan to damage Mr Bin Hammam and force him to withdraw as a candidate for the FIFA presidency," the statement continued.
"I am not at all afraid to answer any questions that the Ethics Committee may have for me at the hearing next Sunday. As long as the Committee guarantees a fair process, I have nothing to fear."
