Qatari who built Asia into a brand worth watching

Mohamed bin Hammam knew he would never be good enough to play professionally the game he loved.

Growing up in 1950s Qatar, Bin Hammam played football whenever he could – sometimes with friends, sometimes in an amateur team, and sometimes simply in the street, using rocks for goalposts.

"I played as centre forward, but really I was just pretending to play," he reveals exclusively to Emirates Business. "I played that position until I was 16 or 17, but always without any skill – of that I can assure you."

Bin Hammam's presence was always admired more on the terraces than the turf. Most weekends he would brave the harsh humidity of the Middle East to watch his local side, Al Rayyan, compete against the likes of Al Sadd and Al Esteqlal in the Qatari League.

And while he wasn't fortunate enough to be able to watch European football on the television, he followed developments in magazines whenever possible.

"For one reason or another, I supported Liverpool," he explains. "Without knowing why and without ever seeing them play. I was always dreaming that Liverpool would win in any match they competed in.

"Doha back then was so small and entertainment activities were limited so football was everything. I belong to the Rayyan area and so by nature I supported Rayyan – it just so happened also that the club had some of the most popular players at that time. People saw my enthusiasm and passion for this club and invited me to be the president."

Bin Hammam was 23 years old.

Al Rayyan Sports Club had been founded five years earlier after merging with Nusoor Club and had failed to win the league since their creation. In Bin Hammam's first year in charge, Rayyan reached the final of the Prince's Cup and two seasons later "The Lions" were crowned kings of Qatar.

By the time he stepped down in 1987 after 15 years as president, Rayyan had won the league six times and reached the Prince's Cup final on three occasions.

In 1992, Bin Hammam was elected President of the Qatar Football Association, a position he held for four years.

It was during these early years with his country's FA that he was to meet Sepp Blatter, then-general secretary of Fifa, world football's governing body. The two would become close friends and associates.

"[Myself and the Qatari FA] wanted to host World Cup qualifiers for teams such as Iran and Iraq, who were at war during that time," says Bin Hammam. "These countries could not host matches themselves so we made an offer to Fifa and after that I started to see him [Blatter]."

Three years later, the 1995 Fifa World Youth Championship, to be held in Nigeria, was at risk of being cancelled after Blatter and Co expressed concern over a lack of adequate medical facilities and security.

The tournament was due to start in three weeks and embarrassment was on the cards. That was until Bin Hammam took action.

"We approached Fifa to become hosts at the last minute," says Bin Hammam. "Nigeria was scheduled to host it in April 1995, but by March it was clear they would not make it. Fifa gave the tournament to us, but remained ready to postpone. We said we could do it in the short time."

On April 15, 1995, Qatar hosted the 1995 World Youth Championship, welcoming the likes of Spain's Raul, Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata and Portugal's Nuno Gomes to the capital, Doha. Argentina beat Brazil 2-0 in the final at the Khalifa Olympic Stadium in front of 65,000 fans.

"They were surprised by how one country could host a Fifa competition with such high quality in such little time, but that is what we did," says Bin Hammam, proudly.

The following year the president of the Qatari FA resigned to take the West Asia seat on Fifa's Executive Committee, a position he held for two four-year terms. He was also around this time appointed as a member of his country's parliament, the Advisory Council, by childhood friend Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.

It was midway through his second term on Fifa's Executive Committee, having played an instrumental role in Blatter's election campaign for Fifa President in 1998, that his own career stepped up a level.

August 14, 2002 will for ever remain in Mohamed bin Hammam's memory as the day he became president of the Asian Football Confederation, a role which last year led to World Soccer magazine naming him the third most powerful man in world football, behind Blatter and Uefa president Michel Platini.

So from rocks on a Rayyan road to presiding over football's most populous confederation, Bin Hammam became the only Arab to permanently hold the position since the AFC's inception in May 1954.

Credited and criticised in equal measure, the president is undoubtedly a controversial figure. He is widely recognised as having raised standards in Asia by attracting commercial investment, introducing national development programmes and bringing Australia into the Asian confederation.

He was also a prominent player in last year's revamping of Asia's top club competition, creating the expanded $14 million AFC Champions League.

Bin Hammam's detractors accuse him of being a dictator and he –?as well as Blatter – has faced corruption allegations in the past. Critics claim the Qatari is not transparent and argue the AFC is no longer a democratic organisation.

Earlier this year, Bin Hammam was forced to fight for his West Asia seat on Fifa's Executive Committee. His opponent in the race was Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, but it was Fifa Vice-President Chung Mong-joon of South Korea who made the most vehement assertions.

"At the beginning of his term, Bin Hammam was not like he is today," said Chung back in March. "He is now acting like the head of a very uncivilised organisation. Asian football is suffering from a serious lack of transparency, democracy and rule of law.

"Unfortunately, Asian football is now divided and full of mistrust and even hatred."

Despite his deprecators, Bin Hammam successfully defended his seat, winning 23 votes to Al Khalifa's 21. Two ballots were spoiled.

Afterwards he said : "For those who chose not to support me, I promise I will do my best to have your confidence and trust in me next time. Asia needs all of us… both camps. We need to work hand in hand and we need to work together."

Bin Hammam has also since confirmed he would consider running for president of Fifa, should Blatter decide to step down – although he has urged his friend to carry on.

His immediate plans are to continue growing football in Asia and keeping ahead of developments in the several ?tournaments that are taking place in the coming months, including the AFC Futsal Club Championship, the AFC Under-19 Women's Championship and the AFC President's Cup.

And on December 9, 2009, Bin Hammam will be back where it all began, standing on the terraces, braving the harsh humidity of the Middle East.

It may not involve his beloved Al Rayyan, but the thought of watching the Fifa Club World Cup kick off in the Arab World for the first time when Al Ahly take on Auckland City in Abu Dhabi is sure to stir a sense of emotion in the most important man in Asian football. 


AFC Presidents: A timeline

May 1954 – Nov 1954 Sir Man Kam Loh Hong Kong

1954 – 1956 Kowk Chan Hong Kong

1956 – 1957 William Sui Tak Louey Hong Kong

1957 - 1958 NC Chan Hong Kong

1958 – 1977 Prince Abdul Rahman Putra Malaysia

1977 – 1978 Kambiz Atabai (Acting) Iran

1978 – 1994 Hamzah Abou Samah Malaysia

1994 – 2002 HRH Sultan Ahmed Shah Malaysia

2002 – present Mohamed Bin Hammam Qatar

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