Sport has enough politics of its own, and doesn’t need politicians to complicate things further. Fifa is of the same view and has rebutted the Nicolas Sarkozy-led French government after their intervention into the matters of the French Football Federation following Les Blues’ humiliating first round exit.
The world football governing body has also warned the French that further action could potentially have radical ramifications.
“We have spoken with the office of the sports minister and said that there is a need to be very careful so that there is no compromise on the autonomy of football,” Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke, himself a Frenchman, told reporters at the Soccer City Stadium media centre here on Saturday.
Raymond Domenech’s men had a horror run and were sent packing after losing 2-1 to South Africa to finish bottom of their group. It wasn’t just on the field that the French were disastrous, their run in the Rainbow Nation saw their captain and players go on strike and Nicolas Anelka sent home after an altercation with the coach. President Sarkozy called for explanations on what went wrong in a meeting with skipper Thierry Henry on the team’s arrival in Paris.
Sports minister Roselyne Bachelot, whose emotionally charged lecture before the final match left several players in tears, said that it was “inevitable” that French Football Federation chief Jean-Pierre Escalettes should stand down from his post.
Valcke added that Fifa, which has banned nations like Kenya and Iraq for political meddling in the sport, would not show any special concessions to the Europeans.
“They can meet, they can discuss, they can ask for apologies from the people involved, but they need to be careful because if there is interference Fifa will react just as with any country in the world,” he said.
“This is not a warning, but advice given from my side about our system and how the pyramid of football works. To cut a long story short, no one can ask for someone to resign.”
A few months earlier, the Indian sports minister M.S. Gill got a similar dressing down from the International Olympic Committee after he meddled in the functioning of the Indian Olympic Association.