Iraq suspended
FIFA report below that Iraq is suspended, but midnight 29 May is the last moment for the Iraq Government to ensure the Socceroo game on Sunday goes ahead. Otherwise Iraq are suspended for 1 year. No possible change.
World Cup qualification would be thrown out the window. Idiots?
Iraqi Football Association suspended
On the first day of its meeting in Sydney, the FIFA Executive Committee decided to suspend the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) as of today, 26 May 2008, following the governmental decree passed on 20 May which dissolved the Iraqi National Olympic Committee and all national sport federations, including the IFA.
The FIFA Executive Committee also decided that in accordance with art. 14, par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, the case of the Iraqi Football Association would be presented to the FIFA Congress on 30 May for suspension until the FIFA Congress in 2009, namely one year.
However, the suspension decided upon today may be lifted if FIFA receives by 29 May, midnight (Sydney time), 16.00h CET, written confirmation from the Iraqi government that the decree has been annulled.
1 comment:
Hi Eamonn
I am hopeful this game will go ahead.
Certainly the news coming out of Iraq is positive (see below). It seems the Iraqi government has advised the Iraqi Football Association that its decision to disband the Iraqi Olympic Committee does not apply to the Iraqi Football Association.
Cheers
BAGHDAD, May 26 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government notified the Iraqi Football Association on Monday that it is not affected by a government decision to disband the Iraqi Olympic Committee, hoping to reverse the country's suspension from the World Cup.
Soccer's world governing body FIFA said earlier it would suspend Iraq from international competition for a year unless it received confirmation from the Iraqi government by Thursday that its decree dissolving national sports bodies had been annulled.
The government published a decree last week saying it was disbanding the Iraqi Olympic Committee and all affiliated sports federations.
"We received a letter from the secretary-general of the cabinet which clarifies that the decision does not include the sports federations, including the soccer federation," Hussein Saeed, head of the Iraqi Football Association, told Reuters.
"We sent a copy of the letter to FIFA. We don't know whether they will change their mind or not," he said.
The first impact of FIFA's decision could be to annul the World Cup qualifying match that Iraq is due to play against Australia in Brisbane on Sunday.
Sports Ministeer Jasem Mohammed Jaafar told Reuters the government had sent clarification to the football federation because the old decision was vague and misinterpreted.
"We have done what we could. If FIFA doesn't reverse its decision and Iraq doesn't play in the World Cup, we won't be responsible," he said.
Jaafar said he would meet a representative of the International Olympic Committee in Kuwait on Wednesday to discuss the government's controversial decree. (Reporting by Wisam Mohammed; Editing by Derek Parr)
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