November 21 – Iraqi officials has promised that they will appeal against a decision by FIFA to suspend the country’s football association because of state interference.
FIFA said that it is “unacceptable” for Iraq’s Olympic Committee to disband the Iraq Football Association (IFA) this week for alleged financial and administrative irregularities.
FIFA’s Emergency Committee, led by President Sepp Blatter, imposed the suspension yesterday after Iraq missed an overnight deadline to reinstate the federation.
Iraq’s national teams now cannot take part in international matches, and FIFA funding has been stopped.
Iraq’s Olympic Committee dissolved the Iraqi Football Association on Monday for alleged financial and administrative irregularities and repeated delays of internal elections.
Iraqi Olympic board member Samir al-Moussawi said the Committee expected such a response from FIFA and was standing by its decision.
He said: ”We will continue our contacts with FIFA officials and we will provide them with evidence to support our claims.
“Anyhow, Iraqi football teams have no international activities in the next three months and we hope that during this period we will be able to resolve our differences with FIFA.
It was the misleading reports that they [the IFA] delivered to FIFA and the mistakes they committed which led us to this point.
“We were not surprised and were not disappointed by this decision [of FIFA].
“We expected it and we are ready for it.
“We have already authorised some lawyers to appeal the decision.”
FIFA has called the committee’s decision to dissolve the federation “incomprehensible” and said it “stands in total contradiction with [Iraqi federation] and FIFA statutes.”
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said: “The Olympic Committee will present and explain to FIFA the imperative reasons for disbanding the administrative body of the IFA and the financial, legal, and administrative irregularities that have accompanied its work for five years.”
He said an election would be held for new IFA leaders that was both in accordance with international rules and Iraqi laws.
Iraq has had a troubled relationship with FIFA since its popularity peaked with a victory in the 2007 Asian Cup.
Last year, FIFA imposed a ban on Iraqi teams after the Government dissolved the national Olympic Committee, along with all sports federations.
The ban threatened Iraq’s participation in World Cup qualifiers but was lifted after the Government assured FIFA that football was excluded from the decision.
Last month, FIFA granted the IFA until April 30, 2010, to adopt new statutes and elect a new board, stressing that the process had to be independent and free of Government interference.
At the heart of the dispute is an effort by Iraq’s new Shi’ite Muslim-led authorities to wrest control of the sport from an association they view as dominated by sports figures from ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein’s era.
Olympic Committee members blame the IFA for the continuing FIFA ban on Iraq hosting international matches due to lingering problems over security.
They say IFA leaders exaggerate the dangers of staging matches in Iraq for political reasons.
The Olympic Committee also said it was unacceptable that IFA President Hussein Saeed has lived in Jordan for the past three years.
It has demanded the IFA elect a new governing board but the soccer federation has refused.
Olympic Committee members were enraged when FIFA intervened to extend the board’s mandate.
Najih Hmoud, the deputy leader of the IFA, said: ”This is very unfortunate.
“We warned everybody [about this] not because we want to stay in our positions but because we wanted our country to escape such a decision.
“It is not just the reputation of Iraqi football that has been hurt but the reputation of all of Iraq at a time when it is trying to stand on its feet again.”
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November 2009: Iraq FA disbanded over allegations of financial problems
