Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Andean Nations to Challenge High-Altitude Soccer Ban
Share: 
by Jordan Yerman | May 30, 2007 at 07:57 am
865 views | 0 Recommendations | 1 comment
Photos
Update: leaders of the affected nations are banding together against the high-altitude match ban:
[q
url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6726293.stm"]Representatives
from five Andean nations are to meet in Bolivia to discuss opposition
to Fifa's ban on high-altitude international football.
Bolivia has led opposition to the ruling, which bans games at grounds higher than 2,500m (8,200ft).
Games in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia will also be affected, while Venezuela has been invited to the meeting too.
The five will call for Latin America's football authority to use an upcoming meeting to veto Fifa's ruling.
They will present a joint declaration to the South American Football Federation, which is to meet next week in Paraguay.
[/q]
The ban on high-altitude matches will affect Quito, Ecuador; La Paz, Bolivia; Bogota, Colombia; and Cuzco, Peru; among others. Proponents of the ban claim that such high-altitude matches place undue burdens on visiting players' health, whilst opponents claim that this is a political move, suggesting perhaps a retaliatory ban on matches played in unusually hot and humid locales, suggesting Brazil.
Demonstrations are planned in Bolivia and Ecuador over a ban by football body Fifa on internationals more than 2,500m (8,200ft) above sea level.Fifa says there are fears that the high altitude can harm players' health and possibly distort competition.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has called a meeting of officials from Latin American countries that play their home games at altitude.
He vowed Latin America would not be divided by the "shady actions" of Fifa.
Demonstrators in the Bolivian capital, La Paz, plan a protest of physical exercise to prove there is no ill effect.
President Morales will take part in a football match at Bolivia's largest stadium, the Hernando Siles.
He said: "Without sport - without football - there cannot be South American unity. It is not possible that through some shady actions of Fifa we will see the division of South America and the division of Latin America."
BBC Americas editor Will Grant says the Bolivian president is an avid football fan and a keen player and there is little doubt he will take his fight against the ban as far as possible.
In Ecuador, the mayor of Quito has called for a rally to protest against the decision.
Advertisement
NowPublic on Facebook
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Crowd Power
These members have powered this story:
marissa_nalule
San Francisco, California, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 13:31 on May 30th, 2007
silvia_c says, "note, in this photo [above]this group of porters and guides ran circles around us carrying our stuff, and still had enough energy to play a soccer game after they'd set up camp. pretty amazing. "