Bolivia to take World Cup altitude row to UN!

[rotatopoti3]

LA PAZ (AFP) - Bolivian president Evo Morales said on Saturday that the country's battle to have their World Cup qualifiers played at altitude will be taken to the United Nations.


World football governing body FIFA has banned the South American team from staging qualifiers above 3,500m in La Paz but the Bolivians claim they are being discriminated against.

A furious Morales even condemned FIFA president Sepp Blatter as a 'dictator'.

"Bolivia will bring an action for discrimination and marginalisation before the United Nations," said Morales.

"It is an aggression, a provocation and an intimidation from the FIFA president against our country and against South America.

"We cannot tolerate these type of sanctions."

FIFA has ordered the next batch of World Cup 2010 qualifying games against Chile and Paraguay in June to be moved away from La Paz claiming that matches at such altitude are detrimental to players' health.

I really hope Bolivia win this appeal but Im sure FIFA will find some cock and bull excuse

[truetrini]

why?  so we can build ah pitch up Mount Hololo and play teams dey?

[jr sams]

why?  so we can build ah pitch up Mount Hololo and play teams dey?

Nah....build it up El Cerro Del Aripo.

But jokes aside, el presidente may have a point. See this excerpt from a wikipedia article

 "In 2007, Blatter decided that no football matches will be played above 2999 metres (9839 feet) above sea level. This arbitrary number was revised to 3000 meters on June 26, 2007. This may have been aimed to split the opposition group formed by Colombia, Ecuador (who play at altitudes below 3000 meters but above 2500) Bolivia and Peru (with stadia above 3000 meters).
This has dramatic consequences for the Bolivian national team, whose stadium is located more than 3000 metres above sea level. Blatter commented that football matches at extreme altitudes belong to the past, and that they are risky for player's health. However, no comprehensive medical studies have been shown to prove this. The andean nations retort saying that playing in hot, humid, sea level temperature is in fact more dangerous, citing the death of Marc Vivien Foe as an example."

[Peong]

I thought this issue had already faded into bolivian.

[KND2]

They have to let them play the game.

They could ban canada from Playing in winter
Or Trinidad games from playing before the sun set
or ban games from Shanghai because the pollution is too much.

Fact is if they build a stadium that is to fifa standands it means plently people not only play football there but also watch football there.
Hence it is fit for football!.

Yes it might be a disadvantage to the away team due to the aclimitization but this can be avoided.

Brazil still does beat bolivar at high altitude it is not like the does win 100%

In the end the visiting team can do some preparations and be prepared for the altitude, it may not be practical but it is not an impossibility.

IF the field fit enough for the home team to play and have football league in then it fit enough for visiting teams to play in and have fifa games.


You cannot draw the line without discrimination so it will never work