November 16 – The Iraqi Football Association (IFA) has been disbanded by the country’s Olympic Committee because of alleged financial and administrative irregularities and the repeated delaying of internal elections.
Samir al-Moussawi, a member of Iraqi Olympic Committee’s Executive Bureau, claimed that they had tried to solve the problem but unsuccessfully.
He said: ”We held many meetings with the former football federation and were hoping to reach an agreement with them in order to avoid a decision like this, but we did not see any response from them.
“When we took this decision, we bore in mind all the consequences of suspension or punishment, but we are working from now to get out from this situation – God willing.”
A temporary board will be named to run the IFA until fresh elections can be held.
The football federation’s deputy chief, Najih Hamoud, rejected the decision, saying it “has no legitimacy because it contradicts FIFA laws” and the Olympic committee “is not authorised to make such a decision.”
Football’s world governing body, FIFA, also said the committee has no right to intervene in the affairs of the association and warned that any government involvement could lead to the suspension of Iraq’s teams.
But FIFA also said it is waiting for more information before taking action.
Al-Moussawi insisted the committee had the power to dissolve the federation under Iraqi law.
He said: ”We are athletes, and we have the right to intervene in the affairs of all the [sports] federations we supervise.
Last month, FIFA granted the Iraqi Football Association until April 30, 2010 to adopt new statutes and elect a new Board, stressing that the process had to be done without Government interference.
At the time, FIFA voiced concern in a statement that “some quarters in the Iraqi Government might be trying to force earlier elections or otherwise interfere in the process.”
FIFA banned Iraqi teams last year after the Olympic Committee was dissolved by the Government along with all other sports federations and nearly led them to them nearly missing the Beijing Olympics.
The ban was lifted after the Government assured FIFA that the football federation had been excluded from the Government decision.
The Iraqi Olympic Committee later agreed to hold elections and a small team competed in Beijing.
