Tunisia Faces Disqualification From 2022 FIFA World Cup
By Amaechi Agbo
With 22 days to the kick-off of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Carthage Eagles of Tunisia could be disqualified from playing in the global tournament over reported government’s interference
This is because world football’s governing body FIFA has warned that the North Africans’ participation in the World Cup in Qatar next month might be at risk if the nation’s government interferes in footballing matters.
FIFA chiefs have written the minister of sports in the country to know if the Football Association is among the agencies the nation’s government wants to dissolve.
Tunisian’s sports Minister, Kamel Deguiche, recently confirmed government’s readiness to dissolve federal offices in the nation, which could also affect the football association.
Tunisia are among the five African nations that will fly the continent’s flags at the 2022 World Cup along side Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana and Morocco.
Under the law governing FIFA, Football Associations are not allowed to be controlled by the governments, and any country that breaks this rule will be suspended.
Goal reports that FIFA chiefs have written a letter to Tunisia’s sports Minister asking him to make clarifications about the comments made by him.
Tunisia are currently in Group D alongside Denmark, Australia and reigning champions, France.
In World Cup’s history, no African side has ever won the title before, as their highest stage is reaching the quarterfinal.
Football lovers in every part of the world are currently preparing for the World Cup, which will start in November and sees France in a bid to retain the crown.
It could be recalled that less than two months to the kick-off of the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, FIFA suspended the host country, India following “third party” interference.
However, on August 26, after receiving confirmation that the mandate of the Committee of Administrators that was set up to assume the powers of the AIFF (All India Football Federation) Executive Committee had been terminated, FIFA set aside its ban and the tournament kicked off in October.