FIFA has written to the Nigerian Football Federation to seek clarification over reports that lesbians have been banned from playing in the West Africa nation.
A spokesperson for the world governing body told CNN Friday that a letter had been sent requesting more information.
"This is not a FIFA
investigation, but a preliminary step, fully in line with how any normal
procedure would be conducted by FIFA's Disciplinary Department," the
spokesperson said.
"Until we establish more details, we cannot speculate on any sanctions, or indeed any next steps."
Earlier this week,
reports in Nigeria quoted Dilichukwu Onyedinma, head of the country's
women's football league, who said lesbian players should be ostracized.
"Any player that we find is associated with it will be disqualified," she was quoted as saying.
"We will call the club chairmen to control their players, and such players will not be able to play for the national team."
"The organizations
expressed their concern about reports that the Nigerian Football
Association has banned lesbians from football in the country," the Federation of Gay Games website reported.
"This follows reports
that the coach of the Nigerian team participating in the 2011 FIFA
Women's World Cup in Germany explained that she had excluded players
presumed to be lesbians from the team.
"Given the inaction of
FIFA following that situation, and the flippant response from FIFA to
concerns over their decision to host future World Cups in homophobic
countries, the organizations sending this letter believe that FIFA must
now take firm action or confirm its reputation as a homophobic
organization, in contradiction to its bylaws and the Olympic Charter."
Article 3 of the FIFA
Statutes threatens stiff punishments for individuals or national
federations if the code, which focuses on discrimination and racism, is
broken.
"Discrimination of any
kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of
ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason
is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion," it
reads.
Any action which FIFA might choose to take could be complicated by Nigerian law, under which homosexuality is already illegal.
No comments:
Post a Comment