Peru banned from international competition
 FIFA has banned Peru from international competition, said a leading official at the South American Football Confederation (CSF).
Sepp Blatter, president of world soccer's ruling body,
warned last week Peru had until Monday to end a long-running
feud between their football federation (FPF) and government or
face an immediate international ban. "FIFA has suspended Peru from all activity," CSF secretary
general Eduardo de Luca told reporters at his organisation's
headquarters in the Paraguayan capital on Monday. The Peruvian government's Institute of Sports (IPD) does not
recognise FPF president Manuel Burga, claiming his election was
irregular. "If Burga's position is going to remain the same as before
... this is a dialogue of the deaf," IPD president Arturo
Woodman told Reuters. "There is absolutely no intervention by the government. What
there is, is respect for Peruvian law. He (Burga) cannot be a
director." De Luca said FIFA would deal with Peru's membership at its
next executive committee meeting in Tokyo next month but added
the CSF was confident the row could be resolved. Peru have already been stripped of the right to host next
year's South American under-20 championship because of the
dispute. The participation of Peru in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers,
which are just past the halfway stage in South America, is now
in doubt as are their entries for the Libertadores Cup, the
region's European Champions League equivalent. When the draw is made on Tuesday for the 2009 Libertadores
there will be blanks where Peruvian club names would normally be
placed, said de Luca. Peru, who have not reached the World Cup finals since 1982,
are bottom of the 10-nation South American group with seven
points from 10 matches. FIFA, which prohibits government intervention in football
affairs, was not immediately available for comment.
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