With the dawn of November 21st Hong Kong time, the final week of this year's World Cup is about to kick off, however, the winds are changing and the team lineups are still in flux. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has issued a stern warning to the government of the African nation of Tunisia: if it continues to interfere in the internal affairs of the national soccer team (national football team), Tunisia will face serious consequences of being disqualified from the World Cup.
The controversy stems from recent statements by Kamel Deguiche, Tunisia's Minister of Youth and Sports, strongly calling for the dissolution of the Tunisian FA, which immediately raised the alarm of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Kamel Deguiche's comments are a red herring for FIFA, which stipulates that the general affairs of its member national soccer teams (national football teams) must be independent of governmental and political interference.
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has sent a warning letter to the Tunisian FA stating that if the organization continues to be subjected to government interference, it will face penalties including suspension of its membership and will not even be able to take part in any tournament under the FIFA umbrella, including the World Cup.FIFA has demanded that the Tunisian FA provide an immediate explanation or it will not rule out the possibility of its exclusion from the World Cup.
In this year's World Cup, Tunisia is in Group D with France, Australia and Denmark. Once Tunisia loses its place in the World Cup, the most likely replacement will be Mali, which was eliminated by Tunisia in the final stage of the African zone qualifying round.
