March 28, 2024, 12:56:14 PM

Author Topic: Dispute threatens Venezuela's World Cup hopes  (Read 2869 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Bally

  • Hero Warrior
  • *****
  • Posts: 1552
    • View Profile
Dispute threatens Venezuela's World Cup hopes
« on: March 09, 2005, 08:26:36 PM »
 
 ::)
 
By Guillermo Cardenas

CARACAS, Venezuela, March 9 (Reuters) - Venezuela's gutsy bid to reach the 2006 World Cup finals may come to an abrupt end this month unless the country's soccer federation obeys a March 19 FIFA deadline to hold elections for a new leadership, officials said on Wednesday.

National team coach Richard Paez appealed to the Venezuelan Football Federation and the country's Supreme Court to urgently solve a dispute that has twice forced the postponement of elections to appoint a new federation president and executive.

ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
World soccer's governing body FIFA warned the Venezuelan federation on Tuesday that unless it held the scheduled elections by March 19 it would be barred from taking part in international events.

This would put Venezuela out of the ongoing World Cup qualifying tournament.

"We hope that everything will be resolved in the best possible way for the good of Venezuelan football," Paez told Reuters.

Although Venezuela languish ninth in the South American World Cup zone qualifying competition, the team that was for years the Cinderella of Latin American soccer has impressed fans and pundits with often sparkling performances.

The side has won four out of 11 qualifiers so far and still has a chance of reaching the 2006 finals in Germany. The next qualifier is scheduled for March 26 against Colombia.

"I don't want to think that all the efforts of the players and coaches will be lost just because of some legal battle," Paez added.

Venezuelan Football Federation president Rafael Esquivel is standing for re-election after more than a decade as leader. But representatives of an opposition candidate have frozen the election process by filing an appeal to the Supreme Court calling for a change in the way the poll is organised.

The country's top tribunal is due to rule on the dispute on Friday.

FIFA this week cited statutes forbidding member federations from appealing to ordinary courts.

Other Venezuelan soccer chiefs have added their voices to Paez's call for a prompt solution to the impasse.

Local Venezuelan teams Deportivo Tachira and Caracas FC could be excluded from the regional Libertadores Cup if the FIFA deadline is not met.

"We can't just allow our participation to be thrown out of the window," Caracas manager Kareem Assafo said.

A FIFA international ban against Venezuela would also stop the country's plans to host the South American under-17 tournament this year and the 2007 Copa America.



Updated
 
 
Empty barrels make the most noise

 

1]; } ?>