Mohamed Bin Hammam has pulled out of the Fifa presidential race amid Government calls for the election to be suspended.

Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation, and current Fifa president Sepp Blatter are due to appear before the governing body's ethics committee on Sunday in an escalating row over corruption.

Bin Hammam, from Qatar, is accused of offering bribes to members of the Caribbean federation in return for their support in the election that was due to take place on Wednesday.

Fifa vice-president Jack Warner also faces corruption charges, while Bin Hammam has claimed Blatter - the incumbent as president and his only opponent for the position - knew about the payments.

"I cannot allow the name that I loved to be dragged more and more in the mud because of competition between two individuals. I will not put my personal ambition ahead of Fifa's dignity and integrity," said Bin Hammam.

"It saddens me that standing up for the causes that I believed in has come at a great price - the degradation of Fifa's reputation. This is not what I had in mind for Fifa and this is unacceptable."

There had been widespread calls for the election to be postponed, and it is unclear whether Blatter will now stand unopposed or whether there will be a delay.