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Rabat – The international governing body of football FIFA has warned the Tunisian Football Federation (TFF) that their team’s participation in the World Cup 2022 could be jeopardized if government interference is discovered within the organization.
FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer Kenny Jean-Marie sent a letter last week demanding clarification after Tunisia’s Youth and Sports Minister Kamel Deguiche acted to disband federal offices.
The aim of the letter was to remind Deguiche to act independently from TFF and to avoid undue influence from third parties.
“Any failure to comply with these obligations may result in the imposition of penalties under the FIFA laws, including suspension of the relevant association,” the letter cautioned.
The warning came after the Tunisian minister repeatedly spoke of the possibility of “dissolving federal bureaux,” which FIFA considers as an attempt to interfere with the operation of the country’s football federation (TFF).
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According to FIFA’s bylaws, all of its member federations must be free of legal and political interference. They are “legally obligated to conduct their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.”
Kenya and Zimbabwe are currently prohibited as a result of “undue interference by a third party.”
India, on the other hand, was briefly suspended for the same reason in August this year.
FIFA will not provide any funding to the suspended countries, and their football teams will be unable to compete in events organized by the federation.
The FIFA World Cup will be held from November 21 to December 18 and will be attended by 32 countries, including Morocco and Qatar.
Tunisia is expected to face France, Australia, and Denmark in Group D.
