Palestine take Thailand place in 2012 qualifiers
Reuters - Wednesday 04 May 2011, 05:24
KUALA LUMPUR - Palestine will replace
Thailand in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2012
Olympics after the Thais were booted out for fielding an
ineligible player.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Wednesday
that Palestine, beaten on a penalty shootout by Thailand in the
first round, had been awarded a 3-0 first-leg win.
Thailand had won the home leg 1-0 in Bangkok before being
found to have fielded suspended player Sutjarit Jantakol, the
AFC said on their website.
The Thai football association (FAT) hit back at the AFC,
accusing them of being unclear on the rules but their formal
appeal was over-ruled by FIFA, according to the AFC.
The player picked up a one-match suspension for violent
conduct at the Asian under-19 championship in 2008.
However, the Thai FA claimed Sutjarit had already served the
ban because he was in the country's squad at the 2010 Asian
Games, although he did not play.
Thai football chief Worawi Makudi pledged to fight the
decision after the AFC countered that the Asian Games football tournament is run by the Olympic Council of Asia.
"It was the match commissioner's mistake and not
Thailand's," Worawi told the Bangkok Post. "We will fight to the
end."
Palestine will now play Bahrain over two legs on June 19 and
23.