Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the head of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and a Kuwaiti royal, on Sunday resigned his positions in football after being implicated in a corruption scandal.
Sheikh Ahmad has denied involvement in a bribery case in which former FIFA official Richard Lai admitted guilt last week, but released a statement saying he would withdraw from a May 8 election in Bahrain for the Asian FIFA council seat he currently holds.
"With regards to alleged illegal payments to Richard Lai, I can only refer to my previous statement and vigorously deny any wrongdoing. I intend to work with all relevant authorities to disprove these for me totally surprising allegations," Sheikh Ahmad said.
"However, I do not want these allegations to create divisions or distract attention from the upcoming AFC and FIFA Congresses. Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided it is in the best interests of FIFA and the AFC, for me to withdraw my candidacy for the FIFA Council and resign from my current football positions."
A transcript of Lai's court hearing had him listing co-conspirators, describing one as having a "high-ranking" role at OCA and the Kuwait football federation.
Former FIFA audit and compliance committee member Lai, who also heads Guam's football association, pleaded guilty at a US court in a 1-million-dollar bribery case.
