Bin Hammam demands FIFA inquiry into Asian election
By Mitch Phillips
LONDON (Reuters) - Asian soccer chief Mohamed Bin Hammam demanded on Wednesday that FIFA investigates last week's acrimonious election when he clung to his executive committee seat in the world governing body by two votes.
In the first challenge to his FIFA post in 13 years, the 60-year-old Qatari beat Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain 23-21 in a ballot of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) members to retain the seat having said he would step down as AFC president if defeated.
The election campaign was marked by name-calling and accusations of dirty tricks, with FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon saying Bin Hammam had mental problems.
The Qatari, in London to speak at the Soccerex Forum at Wembley, said he did not intend to let the matter rest.
"I think everyone has a job to investigate these allegations," he told reporters. "If they are wrong, let them blame me."
Asked if he thought FIFA's ethics committee should get involved, he said: "I invite them, I urge them and I wish they are going to go ahead and investigate.
"In the election I won by 23 to 21 votes, with two disqualified, which were both for me.
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