World soccer’s governing body FIFA on Friday announced its decision to suspend the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) until further notice “because of government interference.”
“In accordance with FIFA statutes, the clubs and representative teams of Iraq are no longer permitted to take part in international matches, whether friendly or competitive,” read a statement on the FIFA Web site. “Furthermore, the IFA is deprived of its right to vote at any congresses held by international bodies and is no longer entitled to receive financial assistance.”
Despite FIFA’s decision, Iraq’s women’s under-16 team will be allowed to compete in a youth tournament organized by the Norwegian soccer federation that is scheduled to take place in Jordan from today until next Sunday.
On Tuesday, FIFA gave the authorities in Baghdad a 72-hour ultimatum to reinstate the IFA or risk suspension from international soccer.
Police on Wednesday seized control of the IFA’s offices after its governing board was dissolved on charges of links to executed dictator Saddam Hussein.
FIFA said that the current members of the IFA’s Executive Committee were “the sole recognized interlocutors for FIFA” and called for them to be “rapidly reinstated.”
“The measures taken by the Iraqi Olympic Committee [IOC] and the security forces are unacceptable to FIFA as they stand in total contradiction of IFA and FIFA statutes,” the statement said.
The Iraqi government described the decision as unjust.
“It’s an unfair decision [that] was taken without hearing the Iraqi Olympic Committee,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.
“We feel that the IFA was behind the decision of FIFA to suspend the Iraqi federation,” said Dabbagh, who is also responsible for organizing IFA elections. “We are going to work with the Iraqi Olympic Committee to apply the national laws in respect of the FIFA regulations. FIFA has to respect the positions of the football clubs of Iraq who don’t want to accept the executive board of the IFA, [which] is involved in corruption and violation of Iraqi laws.”
IFA chief Hussein Saeed, however, said the “FIFA decision was expected after the IOC’s decision to dissolve the IFA, which is an illegal approach.”
Soccer is highly popular in Iraq and its importance was boosted by the national side’s victory in the 2007 Asian Nations Cup.
FIFA has expressed growing concern about possible political interference in the sport in Iraq. In September, it gave the IFA until April 30 to elect a new board.
Iraq was briefly suspended from international football in May last year after the government dissolved the national Olympic Committee. It was reinstated only after the government said the IFA had not been affected.
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