KATHMANDU, July 22: The vice president of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the chief of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Ganesh Thapa has refuted claims that his son Gaurav illegally received $ 100,000 from the AFC coffers through Mohamed bin Hammam, the suspended boss of AFC.
"It is true that I received $ 100,000 from Hammam´s personal account in July, 2009, in my son´s account, but it was just a loan and I have already paid back the amount," Thapa told the Republica adding, "I had requested the loan to solve family matters."
Thapa made such claim after international news agency Associate Press published a report on Saturday which states Gaurav, a staffer at the AFC, received $ 100,000 from Hammam. The agency quoted an audit report which is yet to be made public.
The report states, "Gaurav Thapa, whose father heads the Nepalese federation, received $100,000 while a Filipino football official Jose Mari Martinez received $60,000 and had $11,226 in hospital expenses paid. Another $50,000 went to an East Timorese football official Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, the audit found."
"The report has clearly stated that Hammam had given the amount from his personal account. Point No 233 of the report states ´payment has been made from his personal account´ and I can produce the report. This is a personal matter," Thapa said who returned Nepal on Friday after attending the AFC meeting at Kula Lumpur.
Hamam was accused of buying votes during campaigning to unseat long-standing president Blatter.
The report claims that Hamma enriched himself and handed out hundreds of thousands of dollars to friends and relatives, according to an audit obtained by the agency.
Meanwhile, the AFC had enforced a provisional suspension of 30 days from the continental body for Hammam.
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