FIFA has warned Tunisia that its football team could very well get kicked out of the upcoming World Cup.
According to the policies laid down by the international governing body, a country’s football federation committee must be free from political and legal interference to be considered a valid entry for the tournament. However, a recent remark by Kamel Deguiche attracted a lot of criticism from the community and a warning from FIFA. Kamel Deguiche, who happens to be the Youth & Sports Minister of Tunisia, commented that they could dissolve the federal bureaux, including the football federation.
FIFA now believes that the comment hints at an attempt to interfere in the functioning of Tunisia’s Football Federation. FIFA has sent a letter to the federation, and a response is awaited. No response from the federation will take its team out of the tournament, with Nigeria being the top contender to replace them in the table. Kenya and Zimbabwe have already been suspended and are not being considered to replace Tunisia. Italy has a chance, but it could miss out on the spot as its inclusion would mean having three UEFA members in a single group, Group D.
Nigeria is the next best team to be considered to join FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It is the highest-ranked CAF member that could not qualify for the tournament. Committee members have not issued a statement yet, but they have said that the federation was closely watching the developments.
If things do not work out for Nigeria, Mali will be the next in line to be considered for the tournament. Mali could not qualify after facing a 1-0 loss to the Eagles of Carthage during the qualifier.FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will begin on November 20, 2022, but there will be a lot of speculation about who finally makes it to the top 32 teams. Tunisia’s issue is not the only one that is worrying the fans. Ukraine has called out FIFA to drop Iran from the tournament for its alleged role in Russia’s invasion.
Iran is currently in Group B, sharing its space with England, Wales, and the United States of America. Several online FIFA betting sites are also watching the developments to offer suitable betting options to participants. If it goes out of the tournament, Tunisia will be removed from the betting list.
Thirty-two teams have qualified with a lot of last-minute changes waiting to happen. These could be due to political reasons or legal reasons. A final call is to be taken once Tunisia’s Football Federation responds to the letter sent by FIFA. Until then, all eyes are on the teams sure to play their matches.
