FIFA Bans Games at Altitude

[CHICO13]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=434219&cc=5901

I think this rule is utter crap. How about banning games in extreme heat and humidity, or in countries that have serious air pollution? For a hundred years teams like Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay have been coming into La Paz and beating us simply because they are better. Then in 94 we beat just about all of them. Suddenly is was the altitude that did it. What a bunch of shit.

Blatter's an idiot. :mad:

[MrNiloBraun]

WOW....what a bunch of bullsh*t, how many years have teams been playing in La Paz & Quito & how many medical safety issues have occurred? none that I can remember. What about the medical concerns of playing in hell like heat & humidity for those who don't ever experience it.

Call me a conspiracy theorist but I think since this is only going to affect S. American qualifying (La Paz, Quito) that the lobbying body of Brazil who have been bitchin since they started losing in these places finally won out.
Funny how they never complained when they used to walk all over Bolivia and Ecuador in La Paz & Quito in qualifying. Oh well f*ck em!

Where do you guys think we should play our qualifying games now?
Potosi, La Paz, Cochabamba all seem to be out. I think we'll be playing all our qualifiers in Santa Cruz from now on.

[Caturro]

Your federation has to protest this, go as far as they can with the complaint. Blatter is just looking to please Argentina and Brazil with this move.

[CHICO13]

Your federation has to protest this, go as far as they can with the complaint.

You're right, we should but the idiots that run the FBF can't put together one intelligent thought.

Funny how Azteca which is mired in fithy air AND elevation just fall UNDER the capped altitude. :mad:

[Guti™]

So where are you guys going to play now?

Lima? j/k :p

[CHICO13]

So where are you guys going to play now?

Lima? j/k :p

Santa Cruz. Wait till they get a taste of the heat there.

[Latin Pride]

Your federation has to protest this, go as far as they can with the complaint. Blatter is just looking to please Argentina and Brazil with this move.

How is this pleasing Brasil? We have held our own in La Paz for years.

Yeah blame it on Brasil :rolleyes:

[LDU4ever]

How is this pleasing Brasil? We have held our own in La Paz for years.

Yeah blame it on Brasil :rolleyes:


because your club players can't stop crying about discomfort....i fail to see how a professional player, among which soccer players are said to be some of the toughest, would ever have the nerve to make such a ridiculous complaint...

I can't wait to see these countries play in Guayaquil where the humidity god awful and behind a rabid crowd of 85-90,000 people...

let's forbid international games from being played in Rio because from what I hear it's too hot and humid there....

[Bermele]

This all started when Flamengo tried to cover their incompetence by refusing to play Real Potosi, no wonder you ended up getting eliminated. REAL WINNERS PLAY ANYWHERE, REAL MEN DON'T CRY. thanks a lot Flamengo for encourageing this injustice to take place.

[superfrantheman]

you guys will play in santa cruz, that sucks

we wanted to use cuzco for some games too


chesu

[Guti™]

you guys will play in santa cruz, that sucks

we wanted to use cuzco for some games too


chesu

Actually, this is a good thing for us.

Playing in Cusco was not the answer IMO. Our players just aren't used to playing in such altitude. It was our dirigentes who wanted the NT to play in Cusco. Big mistake on their part. :rolleyes:

[MrNiloBraun]

I think everyone realizes this is a stupid rule, Blatter has been an idiot at the helm and this just cements his legacy. It's obvious that altitude is not as big an advantage as some make it out to be & heat and humidity play a much bigger role.

I've always thought we should play less games in La Paz and more games in other cities like Santa Cruz and Cochabamba because as some of you may or may not know this altitude "advantage" also affects our best players who usually only have a few days to acclimatize to La Paz like our opponents when they come from overseas, and I wanted to actually get a chance to see a game (don't live in La Paz)

I'm not upset because we lost some magical "advantage", because it was obviously exaggerated but because FIFA is meddling in our history and tradition. La Paz is our capital for gods sake, much of our futbol history was made there, we can't really help the fact that it's so damn high up.

To those who don't think there was some lobbying going on behind the scenes for this to occur then you're much more naive than u realize. Oh well, can't wait for the first game in Santa Cruz great party town, hot and humid as hell & plenty of hotties. I'll definitely be there :D

[TuAbuelo]

This all started when Flamengo tried to cover their incompetence by refusing to play Real Potosi, no wonder you ended up getting eliminated. REAL WINNERS PLAY ANYWHERE, REAL MEN DON'T CRY. thanks a lot Flamengo for encourageing this injustice to take place.

Flamengo I think made an official complaint about playing in Potosi and this must be the response they have for it. But like they were comenting in the press in Bolivia this is racism. Let them introduce the regulation and the studies, we'll see what facts they are based on.

[CHICO13]

I think everyone realizes this is a stupid rule, Blatter has been an idiot at the helm and this just cements his legacy. It's obvious that altitude is not as big an advantage as some make it out to be & heat and humidity play a much bigger role.

I've always thought we should play less games in La Paz and more games in other cities like Santa Cruz and Cochabamba because as some of you may or may not know this altitude "advantage" also affects our best players who usually only have a few days to acclimatize to La Paz like our opponents when they come from overseas, and I wanted to actually get a chance to see a game (don't live in La Paz)

I'm not upset because we lost some magical "advantage", because it was obviously exaggerated but because FIFA is meddling in our history and tradition. La Paz is our capital for gods sake, much of our futbol history was made there, we can't really help the fact that it's so damn high up.

To those who don't think there was some lobbying going on behind the scenes for this to occur then you're much more naive than u realize. Oh well, can't wait for the first game in Santa Cruz great party town, hot and humid as hell & plenty of hotties. I'll definitely be there :D

I agree with you Nilo, I'm just pissed off at the arrogance of Blatter and his mob. They kneel at the feet of countries like Brazil and Argentina while sticking the knife in our backs. I just wish we had someone in our Federation with balls to stand up to him. I wouldn't even care if we boycotted WC qualifiers just to throw it in his face. I'd love to see Peru, Ecuador and Columbia follow suit. But that'll never happen.

[Passage]

Bolivians I think you should e-mail your FA and complain! I feel this is very unfair.

[Guti™]

Bolivianos en contra de prohibir partidos en altura

(La Paz) (EFE).- Los dirigentes de la Federación Boliviana de Fútbol (FBF) analizan la decisión del Comité Ejecutivo de la FIFA de prohibir la disputa de partidos en la altura, según dijeron a Efe fuentes de la entidad.

El secretario general de la FBF, José Pedro Zambrano, dijo que la FIFA no ha enviado ninguna comunicación oficial al país por lo que es prematuro pronunciarse sobre este asunto, planteado por el club Flamengo de Brasil.

El presidente de la federación boliviana, Carlos Chávez, se encuentra en viaje hacia Zúrich, para participar del 57 Congreso de la FIFA, previsto para los días martes y miércoles de esta semana.

Con la determinación anunciada, la selección y los equipos de Bolivia que participen en torneos internacionales no podrán utilizar los estadios de La Paz y de las otras ciudades importantes del país, salvo el de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, que está por debajo de 2.500 metros de altitud.

Además de los estadios de Oruro y Potosí, tan altos como el Hernando Siles de La Paz, las ciudades de Cochabamba y de Sucre se encuentran a 2.558 y 2.790 metros sobre el nivel del mar, respectivamente.

Zambrano dio a entender que la medida comunicada por la FIFA es sólo una proposición de uno de sus comités internos, que debe ser discutido por el 57 Congreso del organismo mundial.

http://www.peru.com/futbol/AutoNoticias/FutbolInternacional/2007/05/27/DetalleNoticia89797.asp

[CHICO13]

http://www.peru.com/futbol/AutoNoticias/FutbolInternacional/2007/05/27/DetalleNoticia89797.asp

Thanks for the link Guti, I hope Chavez grows a pair.

[MrNiloBraun]

thanks for the link Guti.......WOW what can I say I'm speechless, I thought it was only for International matches for the countries team, not for league teams in tournaments like Libertadores and Sudamericana.

I mean it was stupid then but if this is true then it's just beyond stupidity. As someone mentioned countries have different cities where they can play, but where the hell is a club like Real Potosi, Bolivar, or the more than dozen other teams who don't qualify in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Bolivia, etc supposed to play now. A different city where they have no support??? wtf???

[MrNiloBraun]

Thanks for the link Guti, I hope Chavez grows a pair.


Not likely since it wont fill his pockets with money, it doesn't affect his old team Oriente who play in Santa Cruz and he's wanted more matches in Santa Cruz anyway.

[LDU4ever]

yes...we must lobby our federations to appeal this to FIFA...although I am sure that they will appeal anyway, we should let our presence be felt though