Bin Hammam rejects Qatar corruption claims

FIFA presidential candidate and Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam denied allegations on Wednesday that Qatar paid bribes to secure the 2022 World Cup.

Two FIFA executive committee members were accused by a British parliamentary committee of accepting $1.5 million in exchange for backing Qatar's successful World Cup bid.

However Bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation president who hails from Qatar, emphatically denied any bribes had been paid and demanded proof of the allegations.

"I can assure you nothing like this has happened from our side," Bin Hammam was quoted as saying by Britain's Press Association.

"If someone wants to damage reputations like this then they have to provide the proof. You can't just accuse people just like that.

"It didn't happen. It is fine to say something, to try to damage the reputation of somebody but where is the proof?" added Bin Hammam, who is to challenge FIFA President Sepp Blatter at a vote in Zurich on June 1.

The British Parliament's culture, media and sport committee revealed on Tuesday it had been given evidence from The Sunday Times newspaper which implicated African FIFA officials Issa Hayatou from Cameroon and Jacques Anouma from the Ivory Coast.

The Sunday Times claimed to have uncovered evidence indicating both men had received bribes to vote for Qatar, according to lawmakers.

In later testimony, Lord David Triesman, the former head of England's disastrous 2018 World Cup campaign, said four other FIFA members had been guilty of "improper and unethical" behaviour by requesting favours in exchange for support.