FIFA has taken temporary control of the Uruguayan soccer federation because of governance concerns as the country campaigns with Argentina and Paraguay to host the 2030 World Cup, reports AP.
FIFA said officials decided Tuesday to appoint a “normalisation committee” that will run the federation, known as AUF, until Feb. 28, 2019.
The intervention follows the AUF’s president, Wilmar Valdez, quitting a day before he was to stand for re-election last month.
The vote was put on hold.
FIFA says the electoral process “is not in accordance with the requirements of transparency as outlined in the FIFA and CONMEBOL statutes.”
CONMEBOL, the main South American soccer body, says there is “a lack of assurances” in AUF’s electoral process.
FIFA and CONMEBOL stressed the “normalisation committee” will run the daily business of the association, adapt AUF’s statutes to international standards and organize its elections.
Marcelo de Leon, the president of Uruguay’s referee association, told radio Sport that the intervention was requested by his colleagues, professional footballers and players of the national team.
Several Uruguay players used their social media channels to share a letter in support to FIFA’s decision, saying it would bring “transparency, democracy and plurality to AUF.” They asked for a corruption probe to examine decisions made by the AUF over the last 20 years.
