By AP

CAIRO: The African football federation says its president and FIFA executive committee member Issa Hayatou denies the corruption allegations made against him in a British parliamentary hearing.

CAF said Wednesday in a statement that Hayatou describes as “pure invention” claims he took money in return for voting for Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

The statement adds that Hayatou “will not let journalists, whose work consists of creating and selling falsehoods, attack his person” and “reserves the right to bring to justice the people responsible for this campaign of discrediting him.”

Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast were allegedly paid $1.5 million to vote for Qatar, according to evidence submitted by the Sunday Times newspaper.