FIFA corners Sudan Football Association

FIFA has given the Sudanese Football Association (SFA) an ultimatum until Saturday to cancel a decision by the Minister of Justice, appointing a new chairman.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) also threatened to freeze the football activities of Sudan and exclude its teams from participating in the African Championships. El Hilal and El Merrikh would then be excluded from the Champions League, and Hilal El Obeid from the Confederation Cup.

The Justice Minister recently appointed Abdelrahman Sirelkhatim as new chairman of the SFA, in a government intervention in the election.

FIFA responded to a letter by the current Chairman Dr Mutasim Jaafar last week, whom expressed his doubts about the correctness of the election procedures for appointing a new board of directors of the SFA. The international association decided to postpone the holding of a general assembly and the election for a period of six months.

The Sudan Football Association was founded in 1936, became part of FIFA in 1948, and belongs to the founding members of Confederation of African Football.