FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa denies any part in investigating and prosecuting athletes
Friday 30 October 2015 08:50, UK
FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has denied any part in investigating and prosecuting athletes who were active in Bahrain's democracy protests in 2011.
The Guardian earlier this week cited a 2011 Bahrain News Agency article stating that Salman, who is now president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), had been appointed to "lead the investigation committee".
The newspaper claims came a day after Salman announced his intention to run for FIFA president.
Salman has faced strident criticism from human rights groups who say he had local football players arrested, detained, abused, tortured and publicly humiliated during the protests while he was head of the Bahrain Football Association.
"Recent allegations are entirely false and categorically denied by Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa," he said in a statement.
"While it was proposed that Sheikh Salman lead a fact-finding committee in relation to the events of 2011, that committee was never formally established and never conducted any business whatsoever."
"Sheikh Salman had absolutely no involvement in the identification, investigation, prosecution or mistreatment of any individuals, as has been alleged."
The 49-year-old is expected to win the bulk of support among the 47 members of the AFC in the race to lead FIFA, which has been in crisis since May when the United States indicted several FIFA officials for bribery, money laundering and wire fraud.
Swiss authorities are also investigating the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
Bahrain was swept by protests during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in which the Shi'ite majority demanded political reforms from the Sunni Muslim ruling family.
