Mohamed bin Hammam Will Appeal FIFA Ban at Court of Arbitration for Sport

Mohamed bin Hammam won’t go away without a fight. Last year’s bribery scandal earned the former FIFA official a lifetime ban from world soccer’s governing body, but he’s appealing the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), according to the Associated Press.

The case will be heard on April 18-19, and the court will deliver a verdict shortly therafter.

“The parties have requested a final decision … as soon as possible,” a CAS statement said.

Bin Hammam was Sepp Blatter‘s only rival for the FIFA presidency in last year’s disputed election. But his name never made it onto the ballot because he attempted to buy votes from members of the Caribbean Football Union.

When the scandal was exposed in May 2011, a FIFA ethics committee banned the Qatari executive from all soccer activities. He was forced to step down from his position as president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the post has been vacant ever since. The AFC must elect a new president by May 29.

The CAS is a Switzerland-based independent authority that is authorized to make binding decisions on sports-related disputes.

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Thumbnail photo via Flickr/Soccerex