FIFA suspends Sudan-Chad qualifier
May 29, 2008 (SYDNEY, Australia) — Soccer’s governing body today announced that the World Cup qualifier on May 31 between neighboring Sudan and Chad was indefinitely postponed pending a decision of the World Cup organizing committee.
In a statement issued today, FIFA has decided to suspend the 2010 FIFA World Cup preliminary competition game between Sudan and Chad, which was originally scheduled to be played on 31 May 2008.
The FIFA attributed this decision to the current tension between Sudan and Chad. Following an attack by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement against the Sudanese government in Omdurman, Khartoum accused N’djamena of supporting the coup and severed ties unilaterally.
FIFA said that the case will be submitted soon to the Bureau of the Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, which will pass a final decision on the fate of this match.
The Chadian government had announced this week that its soccer team will not travel to Khartoum next Saturday to compete against the Sudanese team in the playoff game for 2010 World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers.
It further seized the FIFA requesting that the match is played on neutral ground or be postponed.
(ST)