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Two suspended as Blatter escapes investigation

ESPNsoccernet staff
May 29, 2011
Jack Warner have been temporarily suspended by FIFA © Getty Images
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FIFA's ethics committee has ruled that "no investigation is warranted'' against president Sepp Blatter in relation to bribery allegations, but Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam have been handed temporary suspensions.

Both Warner and Bin Hammam have been suspended from all football-related activity pending the outcome of a full inquiry into accusations that they offered financial incentives to members of the Caribbean Football Union.

However, a complaint against FIFA president Blatter that he knew about the payments to officials was rejected by the committee.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke also revealed that the presidential election will go ahead as planned on Wednesday, despite Bin Hammam withdrawing his candidature on Sunday.

Bin Hammam and Warner are accused of handing over bundles of cash, each of 40,000 US dollars, to Caribbean football officials and Petrus Damaseb, the Namibian judge presiding over the ethics committee, said there was enough evidence against them to justify them being suspended pending the full inquiry.

He told a news conference in Zurich: "Mr Bin Hammam is hereby provisionally banned from taking part in any football-related activity until FIFA's ethics committee take a decision on this matter, and the same decision for Mr Jack Warner.''

Two officials from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, who were alleged to have handed over the money have also been suspended pending a full inquiry.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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