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Greece Suspended By FIFAFIFA’s Emergency Committee in Berlin has decided to suspend Greece and its member clubs from international competition citing continued interference in the running of the Hellenic FA (EPO) by government authorities.
World football’s governing body warned the Greek government at its Congress in Morocco last September that it would be suspended from membership unless the autonomy of the EPO was respected, said a FIFA statement that was issued shortly after the announcement of the ruling.
“The FIFA Emergency Committee, composed of five presidents and one representative of each of the six confederations, today decided to suspend the Hellenic Football Federation, having determined that the situation of the HFF is not in line with the principles of the FIFA Statutes regarding the independence of member associations and the independence of the decision-making process of the football-governing body in each country.”
“In September 2005, the FIFA Executive Committee gave the HFF a deadline of 15 July 2006 to obtain from the Greek government an amendment to the national law on sports in order to enable the association to be in conformity with the FIFA Statutes and the relevant UEFA regulations,” the announcement read.
The president of the Greek FA, Vassilis Gagatsis, who has repeatedly clashed with cultural minister of Greece, Giorgos Voulgarakis, about the non-independence issue, refused to make any comment.
Under the suspension the Greek national team along with Olympiacos, AEK, Panathinaikos, Iraklis, Xanthi, Atromitos and Larissa will not be allowed to compete in the EURO 2008 qualification, Champions League, UEFA Cup and Intertoto Cup.
FIFA’s decision can be reversed as soon as the sports law is changed by the Greek government.
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