Lausanne, Switzerland – Former Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam's appeal against his life ban from the sport will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on April 18-19, the Swiss-based body said on Tuesday.
The Qatari was slapped with the ban by world football governing body Fifa last July after he was found guilty of trying to buy votes in the Fifa presidential race by offering Caribbean football officials $40,000 each.
Bin Hammam, the former head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) described the charges against him as “politically motivated” and appealed to CAS, the sport's highest court.
The 62-year-old's suspension by Fifa over the bribery accusations led to his withdrawal from the world football body's leadership election, handing incumbent president Sepp Blatter a fourth consecutive term in office.
The controversy highlighted allegations of corruption in Fifa and sparked calls for reform of its governance structure.
The vote-buying accusations also raised questions over the controversial decision to award Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup, beating Australia, the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Bin Hammam, a former chairman of the Qatar Football Association, had played a key role in pre-vote lobbying for his home country's bid. – Sapa-AFP