Evidence has emerged that appears to link further the Bahrain Football Association, then overseen by the leading Fifa presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, to a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in the country in 2011.
Sheikh Salman, president of the Asian Football Confederation since 2013 and one of the leading candidates to replace Sepp Blatter when he stands down in February, told the BBC this week that allegations he was involved in identifying 150 athletes who took part in demonstrations were “false, nasty lies”. In a fresh denial his spokeman told the Guardian that recent “allegations are entirely false and categorically denied by Sheikh Salman”.
The online archives of the official government news agency said, in an article dated 7 April 2011, that the Bahrain FA would take action against any “players or administrators or coaches” who have “violated the law” by attending illegal demonstrations or “any other action with the objective of removing the regime or insulting national symbols”.
It said that the “necessary measures” would be taken against any offenders. A few days later, on 11 April, the BNA posted an article – revealed this week by the Guardian – confirming Sheikh Salman would head a committee charged with identifying athletes involved in the protests, many of whom were allegedly imprisoned and tortured.
“Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, general secretary of youth and sport, will lead the investigation committee,” it said, before going on to list the others on the so-called commission of inquiry.
The article, in Arabic, confirmed Sheikh Salman was appointed head of the committee by Prince Nasser Bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the son of Bahrain’s king and head of the Bahrain Olympic Committee at the time.
Nine days later a further communique said the committee had decided to penalise six clubs who were suspected of being involved in the protests or had been unable to fulfil their fixtures because of the upheaval created by the February 2011 uprising. The committee fined the six clubs $20,000, suspended them for two years and relegated two of them to the second division.
A letter has also emerged, seen by the Guardian, in which the six clubs concerned had earlier written to the Bahrain FA in February of that year asking it to suspend the league in light of the protests and attendant security concerns. Instead they were fined and banned.
Associated Press reported in 2011 that more than 150 athletes, coaches and referees were suspended after a special committee, which it said was chaired by Sheikh Salman, then head of the Bahrain FA, identified them from photos of protests.
A statement given to the Guardian on behalf of Sheikh Salman on Thursday stated: “While it was proposed that Sheikh Salman lead a fact-finding committee in relation to the events of 2011, that committee was never formally established and never conducted any business whatsoever. For the record, and in light of the recycling of historic allegations in the media, Sheikh Salman had absolutely no involvement in the identification, investigation, prosecution or mistreatment of any individuals as has been alleged.”
In his first interview since being confirmed as a candidate for February’s presidential election amid the crisis at Fifa, Sheikh Salman this week insisted he was not involved in identifying athletes who took part in the protests.
“I cannot deny something that I haven’t done,” he told the BBC. “Such accusations are not just damaging. It’s really hurting. Some people have agenda on their table. It’s not just damaging me, it’s damaging the people and the country. These are false, nasty lies that have been repeated again and again in the past and the present.”
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: “This is the nasty truth that Sheikh Salman can’t avoid any longer. We have said it before and we will say it again, the facts of Sheikh Salman’s involvement in human rights violations is well documented and comes straight from the horse’s mouth.”
Husain Abdulla, the executive director at Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, added: “Six clubs wrote a letter pleading to Sheikh Salman to halt activities for the safety of their players. A few months later Sheikh Salman destroyed them with fines, suspensions and relegation. He then went after their players. He was incapable as head of the Bahrain Football Association and he should not be trusted with the governing of world football.”
A list compiled by the ADHRB group, seen by the Guardian, names 79 athletes who remain in prison in Bahrain for their part in the pro-democracy demonstrations.
Sheikh Salman is one of seven candidates to replace Blatter who will now undergo so-called “integrity checks” by Fifa’s ethics committee.
Human rights groups argue his alleged involvement in the 2011 crackdown make him unsuitable to stand for the Fifa presidency, although the ethics committee refused calls to investigate after Sheikh Salman was elected the AFC president, with Blatter’s backing, in 2013.
The Fifa presidential elections will take place on 26 February after Blatter was forced to stand down amid spiralling corruption allegations.
Blatter and Michel Platini, who was favourite to replace him, were later provisionally suspended for 90 days by the Fifa ethics committee over an alleged “disloyal payment”. They deny wrongdoing.