Only seven countries have been banned from participating in the FIFA World Cup in the history of the game.
During the 2022 edition in Qatar, Lionel Messi reached the pinnacle of football after he inspired Argentine to World Cup glory.
In what was a pulsating final Argentina and France drew 3-3 after 120 minutes, with the South Americans winning 4-2 via a tense penalty shootout.
Here are the seven teams that have been banned from the World Cup.
Germany and Japan – 1950 World Cup
After the 1942 and 1946 editions of the World Cup were cancelled due to World War II, the tournament returned in 1950.
However, Germany and Japan were not allowed to be involved owing to the result of World War 2.
Uruguay were the winners, with Brazil second, Sweden third and Spain fourth.
South Africa – 1970 – 1990 World Cup
During the apartheid in South Africa, they were faced with multiple international boycotts. FIFA had suspended them in 1963, and eventually expelled them in 1976.
South Africa is the last African country to host the tournament, having hosted the 2010 edition.
Mexico – 1990 World Cup
Mexico were banned for two years by FIFA after they fielded four players who were above the age limit.
The incident happened during the qualifying round of the world junior tournament.
The 1990 World Cup was won by West Germany, having they beat Argentina in the final. Italy and England were third and fourth respectively.
Chile – 1994 World Cup
Chilean keeper Roberto Rojas pretended to be hurt by a flare thrown by a fan during his country’s clash against Brazil in 1989.
In truth, he used a hidden blade in his glove to cut himself, as a result, FIFA banned Chile from the 1994 tournament. Rojas was banned for life.
Myanmar – 2006 World Cup
Myanmar pulled out of a qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup which was scheduled to be played in Iran.
They were fined 23,500 dollars by FIFA and were banned from the 2006 edition of the tournament, which was held in Germany.
Russia – 2022 World Cup
After their invasion of Ukraine, they were condemned by many countries around the globe.
FIFA decided the Russian football team were to be banned from participating in the Qatar World Cup.
Ex-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter believes Iran should be banned from Qatar World Cup
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes that Iran should be banned from the upcoming World Cup as a result of nationwide protests over human rights issues.
Blatter’s comments come after weeks of unrest in the Islamic Republic sparked by the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody.
She was arrested for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress code imposed on women.
It has sparked weeks of protests against the country’s strict rules and has led to a group of former and current Iranian sports figures calling for FIFA to exclude the country from the tournament.
And Blatter agrees with them.
He has accused football’s governing body of lacking the courage to disqualify the country from football’s biggest tournament.
Swiss outlet Blick revealed a video of the 86-year-old speaking at the publisher’s headquarters last week.
He was asked by a reporter: “If you were still FIFA president today would you let Iran — which is currently killing young women in the streets, which is sending weapons to Russia to attack Ukraine — play in the World Cup?”
He responded: “No.”
He says he believes he would’ve demanded harsh penalties on the nation and removed them from the World Cup.
He continued: “He’s (current FIFA president Gianni Infantino) already having trouble creating a fund together with the Qataris – for all the workers who died in the construction of the infrastructure.
“I think it should be done by someone from FIFA who has courage. But Infantino doesn’t even have the courage to give journalists an answer.”
Blatter’s comments come after a law firm sent a letter to FIFA on behalf of a group of former and current Iranian sports figures.
A press release issued alongside the letter, via Iran International English, read: “Iran’s brutality and belligerence towards its own people has reached a tipping point, demanding an unequivocal and firm disassociation from the footballing and sports world.
“FIFA’s historical abstinence from political quagmires has often only been tolerated when those situations do not metastasize into the footballing sphere … Football, which should be a safe place for everyone, is not a safe space for women or even men.
“Women have been consistently denied access to stadia across the country and systematically excluded from the football ecosystem in Iran, which sharply contrasts with FIFA’s values and statutes.”
Last week Blatter admitted that awarding the FIFA World Cup to Qatar was a ‘mistake’.
FIFA warns Tunisia it could be banned from the World Cup in Qatar just weeks before the tournament
Tunisia is the latest nation at risk of being banned from the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
The African side, currently ranked 27th in the world by FIFA, has been drawn alongside Australia, Denmark and defending champions France, in Group D.
But they are now at risk of being stripped of their place at the tournament.
FIFA has warned Tunisia that they could be excluded if the country’s government interferes in footballing matters, the BBC has reported.
FIFA rules state that its members must be free from legal and political interference.
The warning from world football’s governing body comes after Tunisia’s Youth and Sports Minister, Kamel Deguiche, repeatedly spoke about the possibility of “dissolving federal bureaux”.
His comments have been interpreted by FIFA as an attempt to meddle in the running of the country’s football federation (FTF).
FIFA has reportedly asked the FTF for “clarification about attempts to interfere in its internal affairs” and reminded the governing body that its member associations are “legally obligated to conduct their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties”.
FIFA has given the FTF no later than Friday to issue its reply or face a potential ban which could rule the men’s national team out of the World Cup.
Zimbabwe and Kenya are currently serving suspensions handed out by FIFA in relation to governmental interference in football.
Meanwhile, India was also banned in August because of “undue influence from third parties”, although the suspension was later lifted.
Tunisia are not the only team at risk of being banned from the tournament.
There have also been calls for FIFA to strip Iran of their place in Qatar due to the country’s poor human rights record and its support for Russia in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this month, human rights group Open Stadiums called on FIFA to ban the Iranian national team from the World Cup because of the country’s treatment of women.
It came as widespread protests gripped the country over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died while in police custody earlier this month.
The Iranian government has also been strongly criticised over its support for Russia in Ukraine.
The British Ministry of Defence claimed that Iran is continuing to supply Russia with uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have been used against targets throughout Ukraine.
Chief executive of Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, Sergei Palkin, has called on FIFA to strip Iran of their World Cup spot and hand it to Ukraine, who were beaten 1-0 by Wales in their play-off final in June.
“#Shakhtar Football Club calls on #FIFA and the entire international community to immediately ban Iran’s national team from playing at the World Cup for the country’s direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians,” said Palkin, in a statement released on Shakhtar’s Twitter account.
“This will be a fair decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to a regime that kills its best people and helps kill Ukrainians.
“The vacant place should be taken by the national team of #Ukraine, which proved that it is worthy of participation in the Mundial.”
The World Cup is due to begin in less than a month, with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador in the opening match of the tournament on November 2
Ukraine urge FIFA to ban Iran from the World Cup in Qatar
.png)
The Ukrainian FA has urged FIFA to consider banning Iran from the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Iran is due to face England in their opening match of the tournament on November 21.
They have also been drawn alongside the United States and Wales in Group B.
But their participation in the tournament has now been thrown into doubt, with Ukraine calling for them to be banned.
Ukraine is furious over Iran’s support for Russia in its ongoing invasion of its neighbour.
The British Ministry of Defence claims that Iran is continuing to supply Russia with uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles, which have been used against targets throughout Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the chief executive of Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, Sergei Palkin, called on FIFA to strip Iran of their World Cup spot and give it to Ukraine, who were beaten 1-0 by Wales in their play-off final in June.
The executive committee of the Ukrainian FA have now called for Iran to be excluded from the tournament.
“Taking into account the media information about the systematic manifestations of human rights violations in Iran, which may violate the principles and norms of the FIFA Charter, taking into account the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the imposition of sanctions on Iran and the alleged involvement of Iran in the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, [we] appeal to FIFA with proposal to consider the issue of excluding the Iranian national team from the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” read a statement from the Ukrainian FA, as reported by Sky Sports.
Human rights group Open Stadiums has also called on world football’s governing body to ban the Iranian national team from the World Cup because of the country’s treatment of women.
Widespread protests have gripped the country since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died while in police custody earlier this month.
Iran is not the only nation threatened with expulsion from the World Cup this winter.
FIFA has warned Tunisia they could also be banned if the country’s government interferes in footballing matters.
It comes after Tunisia’s Youth and Sports Minister, Kamel Deguiche, repeatedly spoke about the possibility of “dissolving federal bureaux” – comments which were interpreted by FIFA as an attempt to meddle in the running of the country’s football federation.
The warning comes just weeks before the start of the World Cup, with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador in the opening match of the tournament on November 20
EA Sports has officially revealed the upcoming ‘EA Sports FC 24’ video game
EA Sports has officially unveiled its brand new football video game, EA Sports FC 24.
After 30 years of creating football video games under the FIFA branding, it was revealed that FIFA 23 would be the last game carrying the FIFA brand.
As the developers decided to go their own way, they have now officially revealed EA Sports FC 24 at an event in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Thursday evening. You can watch the official trailer below.
From the official reveal trailer, it has been revealed that EA Sports’ HyperMotionV will be used to make the game, HyperMotionV captures football as it’s played and brings that match movement into the game.
On their website, EA Sports said: “EA SPORTS FC 24 brings you closer to football than ever before, powered by a trinity of technologies driving gameplay realism in every match.”
During the reveal event in Amsterdam, EA Sports president Cam Weber said: “It means the world that you’re here with us, this is for all of you and for everyone who loves football.”
Some of the new features in the game include cross-play between different consoles for their Pro Clubs game mode, they said: “In EA SPORTS FC 24, friends can finally share a club with same-gen cross-play. This also unlocks unified leaderboards so that players from different consoles can compete against one another for global placement.
Every footballer dreams of this.
Proud to be on the cover for the first season of a new era @EASPORTSFC #FC24 pic.twitter.com/YDqaPe8HuE— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) July 13, 2023
In Ultimate Team, women’s football will now be included within the game mode as EA Sports said: “Ultimate means everyone—welcome women’s football to Ultimate Team to unlock a new world of squad building potential.”
Two new women’s football leagues will also be included in EA Sports FC 24, with Spain’s Liga F and Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga will be present for the very first time.
EA Sports FC 24 promises to have the best gameplay that has ever been produced and the game will be available on 29 September.
