Mohammed bin Hammam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mohammed bin Hammam
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محمد بن همّام
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Bin Hammam in 2010
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| 9th President of AFC | |
| In office 1 August 2002 – 29 May 2011 |
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| Vice President | Zhang Jilong |
| Preceded by | Ahmad Shah |
| Succeeded by | Zhang Jilong (acting) |
| Chairman of Qatar Football Association | |
| In office 1 February 1992 – 1 February 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Rahman Ridzha |
| Succeeded by | Mohammed Hashem |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mohammed bin Hammam
8 May 1949 Doha, Qatar |
| Spouse | Divorced 3 times |
| Children | 11 |
| Occupation | Football administrator |
Mohammed bin Hammam was born on May 8, 1949. He is from Qatar. He used to be a very important person in the world of football.
He led the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from 2002 to 2011. He was also part of FIFA's main committee from 1996 to 2011. FIFA is the global group that runs football.
In 2011, he was told he could no longer be involved in football. This was because of some issues that came up. He challenged this decision. Later, in 2012, he was again banned from football. This time it was due to problems with his role at the AFC.
In 2014, a newspaper published information about him. It suggested that he had given money to people. This was before a big decision about where the FIFA World Cup would be held. It was also before he ran for FIFA president.
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Early Life and Career
Mohammed bin Hammam was born in Doha, Qatar. His father was a businessman. His mother worked as a nurse. He has eleven children.
He started working in Qatar's football group in 1972. He stayed there until 1996. In 1975, he started his own company called Kemco.
In 1976, he became the president of a football club called Al Rayyan. He left this role in 1987. After he left, the team went down to a lower league. He returned to help them. He led them back to the top league. They also won the league for the sixth time in the 1989-1990 season.
On February 1, 1992, he became the president of the Qatar Football Association (QFA). In that same year, Qatar won its first ever Gulf Cup.
Leading Asian Football
In 1996, Mohammed bin Hammam joined FIFA. Later, he became the president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
During his time as AFC president, he helped create the AFC Champions League. This is a big tournament for club teams in Asia. He also helped Australia join the AFC. He started a plan called Vision Asia. This plan aimed to help football grow across Asia.
He was a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1996. He was re-elected as AFC president on January 5, 2011.
In March 2011, he asked Arab and Muslim countries to play the Palestine national football team. He wanted them to play at the Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium. He said, "I hope that all Arab and Muslim teams will come here to play matches against Palestine at their own home ground." Some teams had not wanted to play there before.
Besides leading the AFC, he also chaired the FIFA Goal Bureau. This group gives money to football groups around the world. He also played a key role in bringing the 2022 FIFA World Cup to his home country, Qatar.
FIFA Presidential Election 2011
Mohammed bin Hammam thought about running for president of FIFA. The election was set for May 2011. He would have run against the current president, Sepp Blatter. He told a newspaper that "Change is good." He felt it was time for a new leader at FIFA.
He had supported Blatter in past elections. But they had disagreed on some issues within FIFA. In August 2010, Bin Hammam had said he would not run against Blatter. He had promised to support Blatter for another term.
However, things changed. After a meeting in May 2011, some people reported problems. They said that Bin Hammam had offered gifts to gain votes. An investigation started. Because of these reports, Bin Hammam was asked to meet with FIFA's ethics committee.
He decided to withdraw from the presidential race. This happened the day before his meeting with the committee. This meant Sepp Blatter ran for president without anyone opposing him.
On May 29, 2011, FIFA's ethics committee temporarily stopped Bin Hammam from all football activities. This was while they looked into the claims. Bin Hammam said he would challenge this decision. He felt the process was not fair.
While his appeal was happening, Zhang Jilong became the acting president of the Asian Football Confederation.
On July 23, 2011, Bin Hammam was banned from all football activities for life. FIFA's ethics committee made this decision. They said his actions went against FIFA's rules. Bin Hammam tried to appeal this ban within FIFA, but it was not successful.
He then took his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This court heard his case in April 2012. On July 19, 2012, the court cancelled his lifetime ban. They said there was not enough proof.
But in December 2012, FIFA gave Bin Hammam a second lifetime ban. This time, it was because of "conflicts of interest." These issues were found during his time as president of the AFC.
Newspaper Reports
In June 2014, a British newspaper called the Sunday Times published an article. It shared information from leaked emails. These emails suggested that Mohammed bin Hammam had made payments to people.
The newspaper reported that money was taken from the Asian Football Confederation's accounts. This happened before Bin Hammam invited football officials on trips. Guests on these trips were sometimes given spending money.
The emails also suggested that Bin Hammam arranged for tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also reportedly made payments to various football associations. These payments were for different reasons. Some were for general expenses. Others were to help with financial problems.
For example, one football official asked for money. He said his "gratuity" would not be paid until later. Another official received money for medical treatment. There were also reports of money given for a new car.
These reports suggested that Bin Hammam used his position. He was accused of trying to influence decisions. This included the decision on where the World Cup would be held. It also involved his own campaign for FIFA president.
