FIFA threatens to suspend Brazil over prez’s removal

The Brazil national football team during the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Jakarta last month. Pic/Getty Images

FIFA warned Brazil it could suspend its national teams and clubs from international competitions if an intervention by its football body leads to the election of a new president in January. FIFA said in a letter to a Brazilian football executive that the country's football body CBF could face suspension if it does not heed its call to wait and instead holds a swift election to replace Ednaldo Rodrigues as president regardless. The document was obtained by The Associated Press.

A Rio de Janeiro court removed Rodrigues and all his appointees at CBF from office on Dec. 7 due to irregularities in his election last year. Brazil's two highest courts upheld that ruling last week. Football's governing body FIFA historically rejects government and third-party interference in its member associations, which ultimately could leave five-time World Cup winners Brazil out of major competitions until the crisis is solved.

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The Rio court ruling also named Jose Perdiz, the head of Brazil's top sports court, as an intervener to organise new elections for the presidency within 30 working days. FIFA said in previous letters to CBF it considers the intervention to be undue. Sunday's letter was signed by FIFA's Kenny Jean-Marie, its chief members' association officer, and CONMEBOL's deputy secretary-general, Monserrat Jimenez Garcia. FIFA and South American football body CONMEBOL also said in the letter they will form a commission to discuss the matter in Brazil on Jan. 8.

"FIFA and CONMEBOL would like to strongly emphasize that, until such mission takes place, no decision affecting CBF, including any elections or call for elections, shall be taken. Should this not be respected, FIFA will have no other option but to submit the matter to its relevant decision-making body for consideration and decision, which might also include a suspension," the letter said.

"For the sake of good order, we would also like to underline that should CBF be eventually suspended by the relevant FIFA body, it would lose all of its membership rights with immediate effect and until the suspension is lifted by FIFA. "This would also mean that CBF representative and clubs teams would no longer be entitled to take part in any international competition while it is suspended," it added.

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