Fifa summons Jack to appear before ethics committee

Fifa announced Tuesday that it has summoned its Vice President Jack Warner and presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam to appear before its Ethics Committee on May 29, just days before the presidential vote.

They are accused of breaching the rules of the world football body. The accuser is Chuck Blazer, a Fifa executive member who made the charges in a report to the football body.

In response to questions from the British media, Warner issued a statement which is printed below:

"I take note of the initiative by FIFA's Ethics Committee and confirm that I have been invited to attend a hearing this week Sunday, May 29, 2011 in Zurich.

"I am unaware of the particulars of the matter being investigated by FIFA at this time, so I will therefore abstain from any comment until such time as I have been made aware of all that has been submitted to FIFA.

"It is informative to note that the CONCACAF, at its Congress in Miami on May 3, was informed of Bin Hamman being unable to get a US Visa to attend and that, as an alternative, he will like to meet the delegates in Trinidad on May 10.

"What I can say at this time is that I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part and I shall listen to allegations made and respond accordingly.

"It is interesting to note the timing of these allegations and the hearing scheduled days before the FIFA Presidential elections.

"As this is now a formal procedure, I shall not be offering any further comment prior to the hearing on Sunday.