MARACAIBO, Venezuela, July 14 (Reuters) - Bolivia have been given the all-clear to stage World Cup qualifiers in La Paz even though it lies above the recently established altitude limit of 3,000 metres.
The decision, which followed intense lobbying by Bolivian
president Evo Morales, was confirmed on Saturday in a statement
signed by FIFA president Sepp Blatter and South American
Football Confederation (CSF) president Nicolas Leoz.
'With the unanimous backing of the CSF, the city of La Paz
has been authorised, on this occasion, to host the matches
involving the Bolivian national team, in the Hernando Siles
stadium,' said the statement on the CSF's Web site.
The statement added that the ruling applied to qualifying
matches for the 2010 World Cup.
It said Bolivia had also been asked to build a stadium at a
2,800 metres or below near La Paz if it wanted the
administrative capital to continue staging games.
In May, FIFA surprisingly announced a ban on international
matches at altitudes of more than 2,500 metres, a decision
which ruled out games in Bogota and Quito, capitals of Colombia
and Ecuador respectively, as well as La Paz.
It also thwarted Peru's plans to stage matches in the
Andean city of Cusco, at 3,300 metres, instead of the sea level
capital of Lima, the country's traditional venue.
Following a wave of protests across the Andean region, the
limit was raised to 3,000 metres in June.
However, this still ruled out matches in La Paz, which has
traditionally hosted Bolivia's home games.
Bolivia's Morales made personal appeals to the CSF
directors and to FIFA president Sepp Blatter to make an
exception.
He also played in matches with his aides on volcanoes at
more than 5,000 metres above sea levels in a bid to prove that
football could be played at altitude without problems.
Brazil's first-ever defeat in a World Cup qualifier was in
La Paz in 1993, and they were beaten on their next visit in
2001.
However, Bolivia managed to win only three out of nine
games in the qualifiers for 2006.
The statement confirmed that South America's qualifying
competition would involve one group of 10 teams, who would play
each other twice.
'The venues will be in appropriate stadiums, approved by
FIFA and above all where previous World Cup qualifiers have
been played,' it said.
'A change of venue will only be authorised when the
climactic and geographical conditions are similar and do not
give a sporting advantage to a particular team.'
