Kuwait federation board quit over FIFA ban

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Kuwait, Nov 2: Kuwait's soccer federation board resigned today, days after world governing body FIFA suspended the Gulf Arab state from all international matches because of governmental interference in the national game.

The state news agency KUNA said the mass resignation was ''carried out for the good of Kuwaiti football and as a suitable and prompt measure to have FIFA's suspension ...lifted''.

The suspension could rule the Gulf state out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, qualifiers for which resume later this month.

Kuwait held elections for key posts in the country's soccer federation on October 9 but FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) refused to recognise the polls.

FIFA said Kuwait had ignored the two bodies' ''road map'' requiring them to set up an interim board to organise fresh elections and draft new guidelines to prevent governmental interference in the game.

Kuwait, who won the Asian Cup in 1980 and reached the World Cup finals two years later, were due to start their qualifying campaign in next month's second round.

The nine-times Gulf Cup champions were given a first-round bye following Bhutan's withdrawal.

Reuters>