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 Bhamjee told Mmegi yesterday that CAF would not sack him because he has done nothing illegal. "I have done nothing illegal, really. It is a small matter that people make to look so huge. There is nothing illegal about it," he told Mmegi. He said he has received messages of support from several people in his hour of need. He said none of them have said he should resign but instead they are encouraging him to be strong. He said he does not feel any pressure to resign but he will be giving the matter a thought over the next few days and come up with a decision. He said at this point in time he is still reviewing the situation to see what is best for him. On Wednesday, Bhamjee issued a press statement in which he castigated his critics for playing blind to his good works. He said he was being judged unjustly. "During all my time in football and in my life in general, I have always gone out on a limb to assist people in need. Unfortunately, the good that one does is never appreciated and a single mistake is preyed upon," he said in the statement. He said at all times during the ticket sales process, he was under the impression that he was assisting and helping some unfortunate England fans whom he met at a restaurant in Frankfurt complaining about poor allocation of tickets. He said he did not go out to sell tickets and has never been involved in such business before. "I have apologised for my actions and have acknowledged that these were wrong under the circumstances. I maintain this position. I truly regret this isolated incident," he said. He explained that he did not call a press conference because the press release addresses all the issues people want to hear about the German incident. Before releasing the statement, Bhamjee, the COSAFA president met the organisation's secretary general and his long-time friend Ashford Mamelodi. The statement was released in a COSAFA letterhead but was not signed. Meanwhile, the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) chairperson, Dorcas Makgato-Malesu says Bhamjee's statement does not necessarily reflect the views of the sport fraternity in the country. She said it was a personal statement and that the BNSC will release its own press statement after meeting Bhamjee. She revealed that the minister responsible for sports, Major General Moeng Pheto, will make a statement on the matter. Pheto could not be reached at the time of going to press as he was said to be locked up in a cabinet meeting. Bhamjee was expected to meet a panel including the Botswana Football Association (BFA) president Phillip Makgalemele to explain the Germany incident yesterday afternoon. The BFA president said they would issue a statement after the meeting. Bhamjee became the first FIFA executive member to be caught selling tickets in the black market when a British newspaper Mail on Sunday, uncovered him. The paper reported that Bhamjee had sold 12 tickets to England fans for the England-Trinidad and Tobago match for 300 euros per ticket - three times their value. He promised to sell the same fans 20 more tickets for the England-Sweden match for 1,000 euros. However, Bhamjee was set up and the next call he got was from FIFA. He admitted his misdeeds at an emergency FIFA meeting and afterwards, he was ordered to leave Germany where he was a match commissioner based in Frankfurt. In Botswana, Bhamjee's ticket dealings have provoked an outcry as the nation wants him sacked from all his football positions. Bhamjee's term in FIFA officially ends in January next year after failing to retain the position at the CAF election in Tunisia early in the year. He has been a FIFA executive member since 1998 earning P45,000-plus a month.
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