Bin Hammam, who was forced to pull out of the race for the FIFA Presidency, was banned for life from football after being found guilty of bribing Caribbean Football Union officials by the FIFA ethics committee on Saturday.

But the Qatari has insisted that he will fight the ban and claimed that the allegations were all instigated by Blatter to protect his position as head of the organisation.

"This is actually the act of the dictators, and you have witnessed through history the dictators, when they think this or that person is a prominent one to replace him, the first thing they do is execute him," Bin Hammam told Sky News.

"And they try to fabricate any allegation against him, to jail him or something like that. So I mean usually - I don't know whether Mr Blatter considers himself a leader or not - but the leader doesn't revenge."

Bin Hammam was alleged to have given the officials envelopes containing US$40,000 at a meeting in May, but strenuously denied that was what had happened.

"No, I am telling you I have nothing to do with that," he said.

And Bin Hammam added that it was not unusual for FIFA executives to give and receive gifts. "This is a normal, normal, normal practice," he said. "I'm telling you again I did not give any cash gifts to anybody but these are normal.

"This watch is a gift. It depends about the tradition of the people. There are some traditions and maybe you are not familiar with (them) where you are coming from."

JuvenelCuore wrote:PLATINI FOR FIFA PRESIDENT !