Bin Hammam to fight FIFA ban in April

Mohamed bin Hammam will challenge FIFA in a two-day hearing in April at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to overturn his lifetime ban for alleged election bribery. CAS has set April 18-19 to hear the case. Bin Hammam, who denies wrongdoing, is involved in a second appeal to stop the Asian Football Confederation from replacing him as president. He has been seeking CAS verdicts before the Asian body is obliged to hold an election on 29 May. FIFA expelled bin Hammam from soccer last July after its ethics committee found him guilty of attempting to bribe Caribbean voters during his election challenge to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The Qatari candidate withdrew his bid after the scandal emerged last May. From Al-Ahram