2022 FIFA World Cup: Mohamed bin Hammam accused of bribing Qatari football officials

FIFA president Joseph Blatter (R) and Mohamed bin Hammam in Qatar four years ago.

According to several e-mails, letters and bank transfers received by the Sunday Times, former senior FIFA official Mohamed Bin Hammam has paid an amount rumoured to be around US$5million to football officials in exchange of their support for the Qatar bid.

Hamman, former president of the Asian Football Confederation, has apparently made payments of around $200,000 into bank accounts held by the presidents of 30 African football associations, and an additional payment of $1.6million to Jack Warner, former FIFA vice-president who has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1983.

Warner who was forced to resign as a Fifa vice-president in 2011 after numerous corruption allegations, was provisionally suspended from football activities along with Hamman.

Sunday Times investigation on Qatar raises serious new questions about Mohamed Bin Hammam and his links to the bid pic.twitter.com/xi6HXeXzMe

— David Bond (@DavidBondBBC) May 31, 2014

Another former FIFA executive committee member, Reynald Temarii is also said to have been paid £250,000 by Hammam in order to cover his legal expenses.

Following the claims by the Sunday Times, Bin Hammam's son Hamad Al Abdulla was approached for comments on the subject matter, however, he declined to comment.

65-year-old Hammam was previously disbarred from football activities for life in July 2011 after he was found guilty of attempted bribery, however, the ban was later annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following their lack of evidence to support the case.