Soccer:Fifa executive committee member Mohamed bin Hammam has been banned from football for life after being found guilty of bribery by Fifa's ethics committee.
The Fifa member and Asian Football Confederation president had been suspended since May 29th pending an investigation into claims that he attempted to bribe members of the Caribbean Football Union at a meeting on the Fifa presidency campaign trail in Trinidad in May.
After a two-day hearing which Bin Hammam did not attend, ethics committee deputy chairman Petrus Damaseb confirmed that the former Fifa presidential candidate was found guilty and banned from all football-related activity for life.
Damaseb said: "Bin Hammam is hereby banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for life.''
Damaseb delivered the verdict at a press conference in Zurich this evening.
Bin Hammam insisted this week he would not get a fair hearing and Damaseb confirmed he had not attended the two-day session in Switzerland but was represented by five members of his legal counsel.
Bin Hammam had been set to run against incumbent Fifa president Sepp Blatter but withdrew from the race in the wake of the allegations and has been suspended from all football activity since May 29th.
CFU officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester were handed one-year bans for their role in the affair.
Jack Warner, the Fifa vice-president who was charged along with Bin Hammam, did not face the ethics committee after Fifa dropped the investigation into him following his resignation from all football activities.
The 62-year-old Qatari had said on his official Twitter account that he would attend the hearing in Switzerland while also launching an attack against football's world governing body.
He said on his blog: "If we believe earlier press statements made by or on behalf of different Fifa officials or those working for them, then despite the weakness of the case against me, I am not confident that the hearing will be conducted in the manner any of us would like.
"It seems likely that Fifa has already made its decision weeks ago. So, none of us should be completely surprised if a guilty verdict is returned.
"Following the events since my suspension, it now seems impossible for them to say that they were wrong, although I wish they would have the courage to correct their mistake.''
Before the hearing Bin Hammam vowed to take his fight further if found guilty by Fifa.
He said: "Rest assured that justice will eventually prevail whether through the Fifa ethics committee, the Court of Arbitration for Sport or if necessary, through other courts or legal proceedings in courts where we will be equal and no special privileges will be granted to either party.''
