Before publication of the article, Mr Issa Hayatou
received an email on May 30, 2014 at 18:21 from one of the Sunday Times'
representatives, Heidi Blake, summoning the CAF President to respond to
questions sent by e-mail before the next day, 31 May 2014, at 16:00. The email
expressed fanciful allegations that Mr Hayatou would have received valuable
gifts from Mr Bin Hammam and would have also been greatly pampered during a
tour in Doha in December 2009. The CAF President never attended events from invitations of Mr
Bin Hammam either in Doha or Kuala Lumpur.
The Sunday Times representative also carried a number of
serious accusations against Mr Hayatou, which included allegations that Mr Bin Hammam,
as President at the time of the committee of the FIFA Goal Project would have
favoured the Cameroonian federation with a project worth US$400 000 in exchange
of support and votes for Qatar. Yet the allegation "demonstrated cruel
ignorance" of the functions of FIFA bodies.
In FIFA Committees, decisions are not taken by presidents
of the Committees unilaterally but are collective decisions. As current
president of the FIFA Development Committee, Mr Hayatou understands how any such
Committee programmes are planned and decided.
The Sunday Times claimed just before 2 December 2010, Mr
Hayatou received (60) World Cup match tickets from Mr Bin Hammam. But there is no
mention of which World Cup is being referred to; whether it was 2010 or the
2014?
As Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2010 World
Cup and vice-president of FIFA, does Mr Hayatou need anybody to offer him match
tickets for the World Cup as gifts? Is he not justified and entitled in his positions
to receive match tickets?
Despite the ridiculous allegations, the CAF president has
decided to answer to those accusations through this statement. On one hand, Mr
Hayatou has never received any money from Mr Bin Hammam, the Emir of Qatar or any member of the Qatar 2022
Bidding Committee; on the other hand the Sunday Times asked Mr Hayatou what the
subject of the meeting was between the Emir of Qatar and President of Cameroon.
Mr Hayatou questioned the level of professionalism and
the allegations as there was no such meeting between Emir of Qatar and
President of Cameroon.
To Heide Blakes' allegation that Mr. Bin Hammam arranged
for medical treatment for Hayatou at a private clinic after he voted for Qatar
2022, no such arrangement was made and is a pure invention. The only treatment
Mr Hayatou received in Qatar related to a dialysis session in Doha in early
January 2011 during the AFC Congress, for which as usual, he was invited.
After that the Sunday Times asked if Mr Hayatou was aware
of payments made by Mr Bin Hammam to some presidents of African football federations
and if any such payments influenced his vote, Mr Hayatou said he was not aware.
On accusations of being offered luxury accommodation and
business class flight tickets and others, Mr Hayatou said the allegation was a
lie meant to manipulate public opinion. Mr Hayatou has never accepted any
flight tickets or any privileges from Qatar2022.
In January 2011, he was accommodated in Doha for two
nights by the AFC during the AFC Congress, a principal applied worldwide during
confederations' congress.
Mr Hayatou will not allow journalists once again to
attack his integrity and reputation. Such allegations are meant to discredit not only him as a
person but the whole continent.
Like in 2011, the
CAF president is waiting for the famous evidence from the Sunday Times and
reserves the right to take legal action against any of those responsible for
the smear campaign against him.
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