Dismay in Iraq at FIFA suspension
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-05-27 09:21

BAGHDAD - Iraq's suspension from international football by world governing body FIFA sparked howls of dismay among both sportsmen and politicians on Monday and calls for the government to reverse the decision that triggered it.


Iraq's Ala Abdel Zahra (R) fights for the ball with Adel Lami of Qatar (L) during their friendly international in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games qualification in Doha, August 2007. FIFA have suspended Iraq from international competition ahead of this weekend's World Cup qualifier against Australia after the government in Baghdad dissolved the Iraq Football Association. [Agencies] 

Vice President Hashemi Tareq Hashemi demanded that the government overturn the dissolution of all of Iraq's sports governing bodies, citing the "international repercussions" that may also see Iraq banned from the Beijing Olympics.

The president of Iraq's dissolved football association, Hussein Saeed, underlined the importance to the unity of his war-battered country of its number one spectator sport, and appealed to FIFA to rethink its decision.

Hashemi called on President Jalal Talabani to press the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to reconsider its decision in order "to honour Iraq's legal commitments to the Olympic charter."

"The vice president is deeply concerned about the move's international repercussions," a statement from his office said.

The Iraqi government said it sacked its National Olympic Committee and with it all sports federations because the previous committee had lacked a quorum to conduct its meetings and had not held elections for over five years.

The committee's president has been missing since his kidnap in July 2006 and other members have fled the country.

But the head of the dissolved Iraqi Football Association said he would arrive in Sydney on Wednesday for talks with FIFA officials aimed at persuading them to reverse their decision to suspend Iraq.

In a letter to Talabani and Maliki, Saeed appealed for the two leaders to help "preserve" Iraqi sport.

"I call on the president and the prime minister to find formulas that would preserve the status of Iraqi sports and avoid any damage," wrote Saeed, adding that it should not be "too difficult" to find a solution with FIFA.

Saeed said that he wanted FIFA to extend their deadline to "allow us to play Australia."

A key World Cup qualifier is due to be played in Brisbane on Sunday and its forfeiting would torpedo Iraq's entire qualifying campaign.

"I will seek the Asian federation's help," Saeed said.

"All government parties realise the importance of football in enhancing the unity of Iraq. There will be no solution unless the government understands the nature of the problem, which we are trying hard to solve and contain."

The FIFA Executive Committee, meeting in Sydney on Monday ahead of this week's FIFA Congress, said it made the sanction following an Iraqi government decree on May 20 to dissolve the Iraqi National Olympic Committee and all national sports federations, including the IFA.

The FIFA committee made the proviso that the 12 month suspension on Iraq may be lifted if FIFA received written confirmation by midnight on May 29 from the Iraqi government that the decree had been annulled.