Each Member shall manage its affairs independently and with no influence from third parties.
-Statute 2.17.1 (FIFA Statutes, August 2009 Edition)
When it comes to pissing off FIFA, there’s no surer way to do it than to announce that there’s an outside influence on your country’s football association. FIFA may be behind on video replay, soaring transfer prices, and the expansion of the game into Africa, but they’re cutting edge when it comes to vigorously defending their statutes. Peru and Poland have previously run afoul of this particular rule, which basically states that the government can’t come in and run your football association; it has to be an independent organization.
Knowing that background, you can pretty much guess how well the sport’s governing body reacted to yesterday’s news that the government-run Iraqi National Olympic Committee had disbanded the Iraq Football Association.
Today in a memo (appropriately titled “Situation of the Iraqi Football Association”), FIFA made their statement on the issue.
FIFA has learnt that the Iraqi Olympic Committee announced the dissolution of the governing board of the IFA.
The basis on which such a decision could be taken is incomprehensible to FIFA. This stands in total contradiction with IFA and FIFA statutes.
If the decision to dissolute IFA is not cancelled withing 72 hours (starting 16 November), and if the IFA Headquerters are not returned to the IFA within the same deadline, FIFA will have no choice but to refer the issue to the FIFA Emergency Committee in order to decide on a possible IFA suspension.
FIFA appeals once more to all stakeholders in Iraq to respect the autonomy of sport in general and the IFA in particular and to allow IFA to conduct its affairs according its statutes and those of FIFA.
So basically fix it by Wednesday or you’re out of the club.
Or, as the case seems to be, you’re out of the club again. See, this isn’t the first time that FIFA’s had to ban the IFA; back in May of 2008, they were banned for a day when the Iraqi government dissolved all sporting organizations. That ban was lifted when the government assured FIFA that the dissolution didn’t apply to the IFA. The Iraqi National Olympic Committee was reformed, and the IFA (as a representative for soccer, which is an Olympic sport) was brought back on to the committee.
Since then, the INOC has claimed that there are financial problems in the IFA, and they seem to be aggravated over the IFA’s continued support of a ban on matches being played in Iraq (all home matches for the Iraqi National Team have been played in the United Arab Emirates due to the military occupation of Iraq).
Everything came to a head on Monday, when the INOC disbanded the IFA over those irregularies, which forced FIFA to fire back. The INOC would also like to see new officers at the IFA, something that FIFA agrees with; there’s already a FIFA-set deadline of April 2010 for new elections to be held.
Which brings us to an awkward point: both FIFA and the INOC are really on the same side. They disagree with the method of handling the problem, but they’re both saying that there’s trouble at the IFA. Being that these organizations are both looking to improve the IFA, why not work in tandem with each other?
FIFA threaten Iraq with expulsion [FourFourTwo]
FIFA warns Iraq to stop meddling in soccer [Associated Press]
IFA suspension provisionally lifted [FIFA]
Hilarious. FIFA flexing its might.
[...] FIFA to Iraq: Don’t Make Us Come Down There “When it comes to pissing off FIFA, there’s no surer way to do it than to announce that there’s an outside influence on your country’s football association. FIFA may be behind on video replay, soaring transfer prices, and the expansion of the game into Africa, but they’re cutting edge when it comes to vigorously defending their statutes. Peru and Poland have previously run afoul of this particular rule, which basically states that the government can’t come in and run your football association; it has to be an independent organization.” (Avoiding the Drop) [...]
You can be as incompetent and corrupt as you want. But if you disband your FA……IT’S ON MOTHERFUCKERS!!!
FIFA can kiss my ass,many FA are installed or run/funded by the government. Just look at the middle east the president of the FA is usually a prince of the royal ruling family or the son of the president. Why don’t they just ban the whole of africa and the middle east becuase there is government intervention in all there football associations. Bunch of Hypocrites! What about when Qatar V Iraq, when Qatar fielded an illegible brazilian who has already represented brazil. He played in that came and set up the 2 goals that cost iraq the match and qualification to the 2010 world cup. Iraq was supposed to be awarded the three points and 3-0 when but nothing happend. Where was FIFA then????. FIFA ended up banning the (emerson) player from international football and the game was never replied nor Iraq awarded the three points. This is the biggest scandle and IRAQIS will never forget it.