Bin Hammam backs Temarii over WCup vote decision

Mohamed bin Hammam has backed FIFA executive committee colleague Reynald Temarii, who denied Oceania a vote for the hosting rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups by vowing to appeal an ethics ban.

Bin Hammam told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the suspended Oceania Football Confederation president had to ''protect his reputation and clear his name.''

Temarii's determination to appeal his one-year ban means FIFA could not approve Oceania's acting president as a replacement 23rd voter on Thursday.

''I think it's the minimum he could do for himself, his family and his future,'' said Bin Hammam, Asian confederation president from Qatar. ''The chairman of the (FIFA) ethics committee cleared him from committing any corruption.''

Bin Hammam said he did not expect the hosting results to be affected.

''It's one vote that disappears. It does count but I don't think it's going to have a huge impact,'' he said.

Oceania's 11 member nations mandated their support to neighboring Australia in the 2022 contest, which includes Qatar. The other three candidates are the United States, Japan and South Korea.

The 2018 bidders are England, Russia, Belgium-Netherlands and Spain-Portugal.

Oceania gave up efforts to install interim leader David Chung as a voter late Tuesday when it accepted that Temarii would challenge FIFA's verdict.

''I decided not to waive this fundamental right to restore my honor, dignity and integrity following the calumnious accusations I suffered,'' Temarii wrote in a letter released by the OFC.

Temarii was secretly filmed by British undercover reporters from The Sunday Times, which published an edited video of the Tahitian official appearing to offer his World Cup vote in exchange for funding for a football academy in New Zealand.

FIFA's ethics panel cleared Temarii of charges relating to bribery last month, but banned him from football duty for breaches of loyalty and confidentiality.

Temarii is suing the newspaper in London.