Why the Australian womens football team (Matilda’s) should be in the Olympics

matildas

The other day, a friend of mine and I went for coffee and the discussion turned to what we were doing this summer. This friend plays for the women’s Australian national football team, and of course, my first question was ” will you be taking part in the Olympic games?”

The reply was no. I asked why thinking that the reason was that Australia did not qualify, but it soon became more apparent that there was another reason for this exclusion.

Upon returning home, I started to research the qualifying results for the southeast Asian and Australian group. North Korea beat Australia 1-0. But the Australian team were not happy that North Korea was allowed to qualify after it was banned by FIFA from competing in the 2015 World Cup in Germany due to the fact that five players tested positive steroids and received bands about 18 months and the teams Dr was bad six years.

The Football Federation Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee last month wrote to FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Authority, claiming North Korea should also be banned from the Olympics, paving the way for the Matildas to take their place.

FIFA however decided that their decision would stand saying the rules meant the sanctions would be served only in the competition in which the incident occurred. WADA (insert meaning) have the power to appeal but declined to do so despite calls from the Australian team.

I can only understand, or try to understand, pain and heartache that the players must feel. Of course if North Korea had legitimately qualified Oliver Morrissey with this but the fact that half of their first team we using banned substances purely meant that I felt Australian football at case to appeal.

I contacted FIFA and the reply was below stating that WADA had the right to a fever appeal and apparently did not appeal. I’m writing this blog and will be sending onto various media outlets to see what their reaction is to the omission of the Australian women’s football team.

The Olympic Games were once in a lifetime opportunity for many athletes and the fact that the Australian team since been hard done by legitimate cheating is a decision that personally I cannot understand. They say that the Olympics are fair games and everyone should be competing on equal terms but how can the North Korean team compete when five of their players were caught with drugs in their system during the previous World Cup.

The players were particularly frustrated by the fact that no drug tests were taken at the Olympic qualifying tournament in China in which they suffer the one nil loss to North Korea in the opening game. Surely there must be some way for the Australian women’s football team to be included in this summer’s games.

Favours reply was that it not been considered a priority doping control. But surely it’s the World Cup and Olympics aside is the most important tournament in world football.

I am going to send this to every major British newspaper just to see if anyone thinks the story. Finally I feel that Australia has a right to compete his games, and it would be nice if he felt could acknowledge this.

Press article from the Australian football committee

Now the press release from the Australian Olympic Committee says

Australia’s women’s football team will not be competing in the London 2012 Olympic Games after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decided not to appeal FIFA’s ruling that North Korea can compete in London next year despite members of their team failing drugs tests at the World Cup earlier this year.

FIFA are responsible for organising the Olympic football tournaments, and though they have banned North Korea from competing at the next Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015, they have allowed them to compete in London, saying that their sanction was meant to apply only to the competition in which their players failed the drugs test

The Australian Olympic Committee had lodged the protest with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WADA last week.

North Korea finished second in the women’s qualifying tournament held in China in September, having beaten Australia 1-0 in their opening game, a result which proved crucial with their opponents finishing third overall, and just missing out on London.

Following its Foundation Board meeting yesterday, a spokesman for WADA told insidethegames that they had “carefully considered the award relating to all the sanctions handed out by FIFA to the North Korea women’s team.

“WADA has taken the decision not to appeal bearing in mind the rules that were in place for the event,” he said.

WADA point to their anti-doping code article 11.2, which states that if more than two members of a team commit an anti-doping violation during an event, it is the organiser of that event who will decide and impose an appropriate sanction, in this case FIFA.

Reply from FIFA

From: Media Office (FIFA) To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, 15 March 2012 14:02:34

Subject: RE: The exclusion of Australia from the Summer Olympics

Dear Sir,

The issue of a possible appeal was first reported in November 2011, but no appeal was lodged with FIFA.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee decision taken in August 2011 regarding the Korea DPR’s women’s team was that a sanctioned person (legal or natural person) shall serve whenever possible the sanction in the competition in which the infringement occurred. As the incident occurred during the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Korea DPR is as such banned for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup.

This can be maybe easier explained by the following example: a player is sanctioned for a bad foul committed in a league match for 4 games and as such is not eligible to play for the next four league matches. However, he/she would still be allowed to play during this period in a domestic cup match and/or a Europa League match and/or national team match. This because the sanction is related to the competition in which the incident occurred.

In addition to the above naturally the five suspended players are not able to play any competitions during the duration of the sanctions. Pok Sim Jong, Myong Hui Hong, Un Byol Ho, Un Hyang Ri were declared ineligible for 18 months and Jong Sun Song for 14 months.

Please have a look at our press release from 25 August 2011 for more details: http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/organisation/media/newsid=1498727/index.html

The decisions taken by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, following its meeting on 25 August 2011 are final and binding.

We trust this information is of assistance,

Best regards,

FIFA Media Department

Let’s hope it’s not too late!

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