Qatar’s Mohamed bin Hammam has withdrawn from the race to become president of football’s world governing body Fifa.

Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation Chief, withdrew from the race on 28 May, the day before he was due to face a Fifa ethics committee about allegations of bribery.

Hammam was due to stand against the current president Sepp Blatter, who is also facing bribery allegations, to become the next president of Fifa. Hammam will still appear before the ethics committee in the bribery proceedings, which begin on 30 May in Zurich.

Along with Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, Hammam faces allegations that they offered bribes at a meeting of the Caribbean Football Union on 10-11 May.

Fifa is investigating claims by the UK-based Sunday Times newspaper that the Qatar Football Association (QFA) bribed two members of the Fifa voting panel to support the Qatari bid. Fifa has refused to rule out a re-run of the vote to select the host for the 2022 event if allegations of corruption are proven.

The QFA has branded the allegations of corruption as “… serious, unsubstantiated and false…’’ (MEED 24:5:11).