Email
Print
Digg This
BAGHDAD, May 26 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government notified the Iraqi Football Association on Monday that it is not affected by a government decision to disband the Iraqi Olympic Committee, hoping to reverse the country's suspension from the World Cup.
Soccer's world governing body FIFA said earlier it would suspend Iraq from international competition for a year unless it received confirmation from the Iraqi government by Thursday that its decree dissolving national sports bodies had been annulled.
The government published a decree last week saying it was disbanding the Iraqi Olympic Committee and all affiliated sports federations.
"We received a letter from the secretary-general of the cabinet which clarifies that the decision does not include the sports federations, including the soccer federation," Hussein Saeed, head of the Iraqi Football Association, told Reuters.
"We sent a copy of the letter to FIFA. We don't know whether they will change their mind or not," he said.
The first impact of FIFA's decision could be to annul the World Cup qualifying match that Iraq is due to play against Australia in Brisbane on Sunday.
Sports Ministeer Jasem Mohammed Jaafar told Reuters the government had sent clarification to the football federation because the old decision was vague and misinterpreted.
"We have done what we could. If FIFA doesn't reverse its decision and Iraq doesn't play in the World Cup, we won't be responsible," he said.
Jaafar said he would meet a representative of the International Olympic Committee in Kuwait on Wednesday to discuss the government's controversial decree. (
