Fifa reputation 'sullied' under Sepp Blatter reign

FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam says the organisation's reputation has been "sullied beyond compare" under the reign of Sepp Blatter.

Bin Hammam, the Qatari president of the Asian football confederation, cited Blatter's recent decision to commit €20 million to a joint anti-corruption investigation with Interpol as evidence of the Swiss Fifa President running the game "how (he] sees fit".

"It has become clear yet again in recent days that something urgently needs to be done to improve and enhance the image of Fifa," Bin Hammam wrote on his personal blog.

"The name of our great sport and its leading institution have been dragged through the mud once more. I will happily and unreservedly restate that I firmly believe Fifa is not corrupt."

He added: "However, under the current status quo, it is impossible to deny that the governing body's reputation has been sullied beyond compare and it is time for that to change."

Blatter appears to be leading the race for re-election with the Oceania confederation throwing their support behind him after Uefa did likewise.

Bin Hammam earlier denied allegations that his country's federation had bribed Fifa executive committee members to vote for their 2022 World Cup bid.

MP Damian Collins used Parliamentary privilege on Tuesday to state allegations that Cameroon's Issa Hayatou and Ivory Coast's Jacques Anouma had been paid 920,000.

Collins also urged the Football Association to take the lead in pushing for reform by giving up their historic Fifa privileges. The FA, along with the associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have their own Fifa vice-president. They are also the only associations represented on the game's law-making body, the International FA Board.

These privileges have long caused resentment among some in world football and Collins said: "The FA should be at the vanguard of pushing for the reform of Fifa. We should be prepared to give concessions and be prepared to consider giving up the historic privileges."

lUefa has opened a disciplinary case against Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets over alleged racist abuse of wing-back Marcelo in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid. The case will be dealt with on Sunday, with the decision communicated to the clubs on Monday.