By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 21, 2011) US Soccer Players -- For those of you with better things to do on Saturday, you might have missed the FIFA Ethics Committee's announcement. Streamed live for those of us not in Zurich, chairman Petrus Damaseb announced that once upon a time FIFA presidential candidate and suspended Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam has been banned for life after being found culpable in a votes.

British sports journalist Andrew Warshaw has reported in the Inside World Football newsletter that sources close to the FIFA Ethics Committee's case against Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam "have indicated" that the Qatari, accused of paying cash bribes to 25 Caribbean FIFA members in exchange for votes, "will almost certainly be banned for life and be forced to go to

"As suspended Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam departs Zurich fighting bribery allegations, soccer in his continent of Asia struggles to combat match-fixing, violence and money issues that threaten to tarnish the Qatari's belief that the future is Asia," a Reuters report has concluded.

Update: Later on Tuesday night, acting CONCACAF president Lisle Austin released a statement saying it is within the rights of the president to fire the secretary general and Blazer was 'trespassing' by using CONCACAF's media channel to distribute a contradictory media release.

By ADAM SERRANO

Sepp Blatter has lost his lone competitor for the FIFA presidency.

Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam withdrew his bid to become the president of FIFA just a day before he is to stand before the FIFA ethics committee due to allegations of bribery.

If Sepp Blatter wins the upcoming FIFA presidential election, the next term will be his last.

Blatter confirmed at the UEFA Congress that he only wants to serve as FIFA president for four more years. As of now, he only has one challenger for his FIFA throne, Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam.

DOHA, Qatar — Billed as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, the 2011 Asian Cup was nothing of the sort. Qatar's win in the December vote for the 2022 World Cup hosting rights led to a storm of criticism, and put the spotlight on the Asian Cup like never before. The Gulf nation looked [...]