Several countries in Latin America are protesting FIFA’s decision to ban games at altitudes above 2,500 meters or 8,200 feet above sea level. In Bolivia, where the capital La Paz sits at nearly 12,000 feet, President Evo Morales said the ban was “not only a ruling against Bolivia, but against the universality of sport.” Said one fan, “We didn’t have the luck to be born anywhere else. We have to play sports wherever we can. If not, where would we go? To the beach? To play soccer with the crabs?” There is no beach in Bolivia, by the way.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter says the ruling is intended to preserve the health of players, and to prevent the “distortion” of high altitude heavily favoring the home side. But that’s not good enough, says Rob Hughes of the International Herald Tribune. “Blatter left us disturbingly thin on the ground for factual reasoning,” he said, adding that the new rule now bars cities in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico from hosting World Cup qualifying matches-as they’ve done for nearly three-quarters of a century.
Worse, Hughes says 23-man executive committee that made the ruling doesn’t have representation from any of those countries. In South America, Argentina and Brazil had representation, but these countries play their qualifiers at low altitudes. Blatter said he knew there’d be complaints, but the committee based its decision on sound medical advice-though he didn’t say anything about what the purported dangers are, Hughes says. Expect the outcry to continue.