Sports / Soccer |
Peru, Bolivia prepare objection to FIFA altitude soccer ban(Reuters)Updated: 2007-06-05 08:55 Arturo Woodman, Peru Sports Institution president said on Monday that he will meet Bolivia President Evo Morales, to plan a protest against an International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) ban on high-altitude soccer. Woodman told state news agency Andina on Monday that the meeting will be on Wednesday in La Paz, Bolivia's administrative capital. FIFA, world soccer's governing body, barred international matches at altitudes over 2,500-meters above sea level. "I have received an invitation from... Morales to discuss the FIFA decision," Woodman said. "I am flying there on Tuesday night." At the meeting, Andean nations' representatives will sign a document calling for FIFA to veto the ban, ahead of the South American qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup due in South Africa. "This FIFA plan causes problems for sporting development in Andean countries, because they will not be able to play in that capital, and Peru is well within its rights to play in the south Andean city of Cusco, which is 3,400 meters above sea level," Woodman said. The FIFA measure affects the following capital cities: Ecuador's Quito, Colombia's Bogota, and Bolivia's La Paz; as well as Peruvian city Cusco and Bolivian cities Potosi, Oruro and Cochabamba |
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