Quindio face ban over team boycott
Reuters - Thursday 14 April 2011, 01:59
BOGOTA, April 13 (Reuters) - Deportes Quindio, who fielded a
junior side swamped 5-0 while their professional players were on
strike over unpaid wages, have been handed a suspended 30-day
ban by the Colombian government's sports regulator Coldeportes.
The suspension, however, is on hold for five days giving
Quindio the chance to settle their debts and avoid missing
matches in the round-robin phase of the Apertura championship.
"If Deportes Quindio gets up to date with its labour and
social security obligations towards its sportsmen ... this
suspension measure will be lifted immediately," Coldeportes
(Colombian Sports Institute) said on its website.
The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) and the league,
Dimayor, criticised the sanction at a meeting on Wednesday.
The sanction could also draw the wrath of world governing
body FIFA who have previously threatened to suspend national
governing bodies for government interference in football matters.
Dimayor president Ramon Jesurun said he and FCF head Luis
Bedoya would meet with Coldeportes chief Jairo Clopastofsky to
"show there was abuse of authority and violation of due
process," the daily El Tiempo reported.
Coldeportes, which has been investigating the running of
Colombia's clubs, said Quindio can play their next match in the
championship against Real Cartagena at the weekend before the
ban will take effect.
Failure to pay on time is endemic in Colombian professional football with several first and second division clubs in debt to
their players.
Quindio took their protest over three months' unpaid wages a
step further than other clubs by refusing to travel to Bogota on
Sunday for the match against Millonarios.
Club owner Hernando Angel sent his under-20 amateur team
Boca Juniors del Valle in their place and they were beaten 5-0.