PRESIDENT MORALES ASKS FOR SUPPORT IN OVERTURNING

UNCLAS LA PAZ 001739 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL SCUL SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MORALES ASKS FOR SUPPORT IN OVERTURNING FIFA BAN ¶1. SUMMARY: Bolivian President Evo Morales hosted a breakfast June 21 for Ambassadors/Charges from countries represented on FIFA,s (the International Soccer Federation's) governing board to seek support for overturning FIFA's May 27 ban on international matches above 2,500 meters. Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera and Presidency Vice Minister Hector Arce accompanied President Morales. Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and the United States participated. END SUMMARY ¶2. President Morales kicked off the meeting by observing that during a trip to Asuncion, Paraguay last week he and several fellow Presidents gained the support of the South American Soccer Association (Comnebol) for overturning a recent decision by FIFA banning international match play at fields located above 2,500 meters (about 8,000 feet) in altitude. Making an analogy to a soccer game, Morales said that Bolivia had scored in the first half of its match to overturn the FIFA ban, now the GOB was working to score in the second half and to win the match. Morales observed that each of the countries invited to the breakfast had a seat on the FIFA governing board. He said that the three South American members on the board would seek to have the board suspend its 2,500 meter ban at upcoming June 26-27 governing board meetings in Switzerland. The Bolivian President said that he recognized that the governments seated around the table do not participate directly on the FIFA governing board; rather their national soccer federations do. But Morales asked that the governments represented around the table contact their soccer federations to ask that they support suspending the ban pending a medical study on the effects of altitude at the June 26-27 meetings. ¶3. The Brazilian, Argentine and Paraguayan Ambassadors confirmed that their soccer federations would propose lifting the ban at the upcoming FIFA governing board meeting. (Note: At the Queen,s Birthday Celebration on June 21, the UK Ambassador told Charge that the British Football Association would support Bolivia,s request to overturn the altitude ban, pending a medical study on the effects of altitude. End Note.) Other Ambassadors noted that a similar ban had been briefly imposed and overturned ten years ago. Why had the ban been restored, they asked? President Morales responded that he understood that the ban had been reimposed after Peru had informed FIFA that it would hold elimination matches for the next World Cup in Cuzco. Brazil and Argentina (in Peru,s group) then pressed for the ban, he said. ¶4. The Vice President asserted that the issue here was really the universality of sport. Sport should be played wherever people live; at altitude, in the lowlands, in the heat and in the cold. He said that it is wrong to ban match play in any of these environments. ¶5. Post requests that Department contact the U.S. soccer federation to convey President Morales request for support at the June 26-27 meetings. GOLDBERG