The head of Africa's football federation has rejected allegations of corruption raised against him in a British parliament hearing.
Confederation of African Football President Issa Hayatou, a Cameroonian, is accused of accepting $1.5 million to vote for Qatar as the site of the 2022 World Cup. British lawmakers made the accusation Tuesday, basing it on unpublished evidence submitted by London's Sunday Times newspaper.
A statement on the CAF website Wednesday says Hayatou categorically denies the allegation and dismisses it as "pure invention" aimed at destroying his reputation.
It says Hayatou reserves the right to take legal action against those who propagate what he calls false information.
A football official from Ivory Coast, Jacques Anouma, has also been accused of accepting $1.5 million to vote for Qatar.
The Associated Press quotes FIFA President Sepp Blatter as saying he will ask for evidence of the claims that were made at the hearing.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.