Sudan faces Fifa ban on Saturday over government interference
Fifa regulations prohibits government interference in the running of football |
Fifa has warned Sudan that it
faces an international ban from football unless it overturns a
governmental order to install a new football association president.
The ban is set to begin on 1 July after two rival group claimed control of the country's association.
On
2 June, Sudan's Ministry of Justice ordered the Fifa-recognised SFA
president Mutasim Gaafar Sir Elkhatim to be removed and replaced by
Abdel Rahman Sir Elkatim.
Football's world governing body prohibits governmental interference in the running of a member association.
If
the ban comes into place then Sudanese club Al Hilal Obeid would feel
the effect immediately as they are due to play in the Confederation Cup
on Saturday.
The country's two biggest clubs Al Hilal and Al
Merreikh play on Friday in the African Champions League so would
initially avoid the sanction.
In April, Abdel Rahman won SFA
elections even though Fifa had previously stated that no elections
should take place until late 2017.
After Mutasim Gaafar reported
the matter to Fifa, claiming the elections were illegal, the governing
body took action this week.
"The Bureau of the Fifa Council
decided on 27 June that if the degree of the Undersecretary of the
Ministry of Justice of Sudan of 2 June - giving the police the right to
evacuate the SFA premises and hand it over to a self-proclaimed
president of the SFA - has not been declared null or void by 30 June,
the SFA will be automatically suspended with immediate effect," Fifa
told the BBC in a statement.
"The suspension would be lifted once
the decree of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice of 2 June
is declared null or void and the Board of Directors of the SFA with its
President, Dr Mutasim Gaafar, is reinstated."
Dr Gaafar is also the President of the Council for East and Central African Football Association (Cecafa).
On
13 June, Fifa sent a delegation to Khartoum in an effort to reach a
solution and met the two disputing groups and the Minister of Youth and
Sport, Abdel-Karim Musa.
Yet the various parties failed to agree on the direction advised by the Fifa officials.
BBC
No comments
Your comments and Encouragement are welcome