Newsletter June 2007

On Sunday, May 27, 2007 FIFA banned international soccer games from being played at more than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level. Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s president, said the decision was taken after a review by FIFA’s medical committee. Blatter said, "I know there will be complaints about this, especially from South America, but we have to think of the health of the players first. It also leads to a distortion of the competition if matches are played at such a level… to play at above that altitude is not healthy or fair."

Peru has several stadiums above 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) and the country’s 2010 South Africa World Cup Commission's had plans to play some of its most important international matches (rumored to be Brazil and Argentina) at the Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium in Cuzco at more than 3,500 meters (11,500 feet). The commission's president, Juvenal Silva -also president of Peruvian soccer club Cienciano del Cuzco, accused Brazil and Argentina of being behind FIFA's decision, and said "If this was really based on medical reasons, then soccer players from Cuzco and La Paz (Bolivia) would have died years ago.”

The President of the Peruvian Sports Institute (Instituto Peruano del Deporte -IPD), Arturo Woodman, agreed with Silva that Peru’s plans to play the powerhouses of Argentina and Brazil in Cuzco pushed FIFA officials to impose the ban. "I believe FIFA analyzed Peru's plans to play in Cuzco and that most likely led to the ban," said Woodman, who reemphasized that the measure is completely unfair. Woodman added that under FIFA's criteria for the ban (saying that playing at high altitudes poses serious health risks to players) stadiums which are located in extremely hot regions should also be banned since they can also be hazardous to players’ health.

The Peruvian Soccer Federation (FPF) announced that it may go along with Colombia, Ecuado, and Bolivia and withdraw from the upcoming Copa America soccer tournament in protest of FIFA’s decision. The country of Bolivia is affected the most since they play all of their matches in the capital city of La Paz at about 3,600 meters (11,810 feet) above sea level. Quito, Ecuador and Bogota, Colombia would also be banned since they are located at 2,800 meters (9186 feet) and 2,650 meters (8,694 feet), respectively. Julio Pastor, Vice-President of the FPF, downplayed the idea that FIFA made the decision based on Peru’s plan to play in Cuzco, "This has been an issue that FIFA has been contemplating for a long time. It has nothing to do with Peru's decision to play in the city of Cuzco.”

FIFA’s ban has even crossed into the political arena. Peruvian President Alan Garcia said in a press conference on May 31, 2007 "I am totally against the decision. It is totally 'Europeanized' and insolent in nature. They see the world as if it were just one country. Under their criteria, the world is not heterogeneous. Perhaps Mr. Blatter (referring to FIFA President Sepp Blatter) made the decision because he cannot play at altitudes above 2,500 meters.” The president declared that under FIFA’s criteria, matches played in extremely cold and hot temperatures should be banned as well. "I am absolutely positive that Blatter cannot play above 2,500 meters, so he probably assumes soccer players cannot either. Perhaps we should ban matches in hot regions such as Africa or in Norway where it is very cold," added Garcia.

Garcia commented that he fully agrees with the presidents from the Bolivian, Ecuadorian, Colombian, and Peruvian soccer federations to formulate a unified protest against soccer's government body. "I think this is just the first step. First matches will not be played in high altitudes, then they will be banned in hot weather, and then in cold weather. In other words, ’play where I was born,'” said Peru's president. The South American's Executive Soccer Commission will meet on June 15th to further discuss whether or not they will take a course of action to officially protest FIFA's measure.

Source: Msnbc.com, Livinginperu.com

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• Newsletter December 2007
• Newsletter November 2007
• Newsletter October 2007
• Newsletter September 2007
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• Newsletter June 2007
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