By Andrew Warshaw
July 23 – FIFA has lifted Cameroon’s suspension from world football, allowing the Indomitable Lions to play a key World Cup qualifier against Libya. FIFA imposed the ban on July 4, preventing Cameroon from taking part in all football activity after ruling that the government had interfered in the Cameroon Football Federation’s (Fecafoot) elections in June, breaching FIFA rules obliging member associations to manage their affairs independently.
The ban stopped Cameroon from going ahead with a 2014 African Cup of Nations first-round qualifier against Gabon as well as an African Champions League group match between Coton Sport of Cameroon and Sewe Sport of Ivory Coast.
Cameroon threatened to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but after FIFA President Sepp Blatter hosted a Cameroon delegation, the ban was lifted when, at the request of FIFA’s Emergency Committee, a normalisation committee was quickly established and took up its duties this week.
“The lifting of the suspension means that FECAFOOT’s clubs, officials and other representatives can immediately resume their activities, which had been interrupted,” a FIFA statement said, cautioning that both it and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) would “continue to closely monitor the situation” particularly in relation to the revision of the Fecafoot statutes.
The decision means Cameroon can now go ahead with a key home World Cup qualifier against Libya on September 6. Cameroon leads the group by one point, with the winner advancing to a final playoff round.
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