Pat Hickey claims he is “completely innocent”.
The former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland has released a statement in reaction to the charges he is facing in Brazil.
Police have produced emails linking Hickey to The Hospitality Group, an exchange with Marcus Evans about Olympic ticketing issues as far back as 2010.
Emails between Pat Hickey and Marcus Evans showed to press in Rio police station pic.twitter.com/CGrC7g9EpG
— Sinéad O'Carroll (@SineadOCarroll) August 23, 2016
THG have been banned from handling tickets in Brazil since the 2012 Fifa World Cup.
Hickey had been sharing a cell in Bangu with Kevin Mallon, the director of THG who was arrested in possession of OCI tickets which should only be distributed through approved ticket reseller Pro10.
In a new statement though, Pat Hickey has claimed innocence, he has hit out at media for misreporting, and mentioned how heartened he is for the support he has received from thousands of Irish people.
“I have just received formal notification from the Brazilian authorities of the charges laid against me,” the statement reads.
“For clarity, I am not under house arrest as, like with so many things with this case, has been misreported by the media.
“I intend to face all the charges and to fight each and every one of them.
“I am completely innocent of all such charges and I will also vigorously defend my good name and character that I have spent my lifetime building through voluntary service for numerous sporting bodies.
“I believe in the Brazilian judicial system and I am confident that I will be discharged of all accusations.
“This has been a life changing experience for me, my wife, my 4 children and my 5 grandchildren and my priority is to recover my health and see my family as soon as possible.
“I have been very heartened and humbled by the outpouring of support, letters, texts and emails from the thousands of people in Ireland and from the international sporting world.
“I will be making no further comment until the case has been concluded.”
The GAA Hour podcast is out every Monday and Thursday. Subscribe here on iTunes or listen on Soundcloud (if you want to).
