March 6 – FIFA has told the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) that it must urgently update the status of its clubs, athletes, coaches and associations, or face a ban from international competitions.
The sport’s governing body wrote a letter to the Federation, which was published in Portuguese sports daily A Bola, and they expressed “deep concern” at the blocking of a revision of the Federation’s statutes.
FIFA insists these revisions must be met, but some of the regional associations in Portugal are concerned that their power will be affected by the changes.
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said that the revision must go ahead or a ban would be imposed which would mean “no Portuguese team (including clubs) could have international contacts.”
The FPF is also under pressure from the Portuguese government, who imposed a sanction on them last April, and they have scheduled a General Assembly for March 19 to solve the impasse and to prevent “serious harm to Portuguese football.”