FIFA strips Sri Lanka of its voting rights

FIFA strips Sri Lanka of its voting rights; suspension upheld

by Staff Writer 17-03-2023 | 1:20 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st); FIFA has upheld a decision to maintain the suspension on Sri Lanka strip the island nation of its voting rights.

Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were suspended from voting during FIFA elections. Out of the 211 associations, 199 member associations voted in favour of a motion to suspend Zimbabwe while 197 voted for the motion restricting Sri Lanka from voting during FIFA elections.

In January 2023, the Bureau of the FIFA Council decided to suspend the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) with immediate effect due to government interference.

The Bureau considered that the circumstances in which elections for a new FFSL Executive Committee took place on 14 January 2023 constituted undue interference by a third party in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.

The lifting of the suspension will be subject to the following conditions being satisfied:

- Official and written exemption from the current national sports law to be legally granted to the FFSL/Sri Lankan football in order to guarantee the recognition and implementation of the newly adopted FFSL Statutes (22 September 2022).

- The FFSL administration to be fully in charge of the FFSL’s daily affairs until a new FFSL Executive Committee is elected because the elections of 14 January 2023 are not recognised by either FIFA or the AFC.

- Elections for a new FFSL Executive Committee to be organised as per the newly adopted FFSL Statutes (22 September 2022), especially by secret ballot and for a four-year mandate.