THISDAYonline

World football governing body FIFA has banned Guinea from all international competitions after her government refused to reinstate the Football Association it dissolved in January.

The Fifa decision, which took effect from Friday, March 2, already affects the Guinea under-17 football team, which has been banned from the final of the under-17 Cup of Nations in Seychelles.

Guinea were due to play Nigeria today in the final, but Nigeria will now play Burkina Faso instead.

Fifa's decision also means that Guinea automatically forfeits the place they had won at the under-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago in September.

The changes following Guinea's ban were announced in Seychelles by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

Caf also announced that the game for third place, which should have been played between Burkina Faso and Mali, will now feature Mali against a local Seychelles side.

Mali have now won the third place available to an African side in Trinidad and Tobago without having to play off for the privilege.

The president of the Burkina Faso FA, Honore Traore, speaking from the Seychelles, told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that he was sorry about Guinea's ban.

He said it was particularly cruel for the young players who were about to play Nigeria in the final.

Traore went on to say that he believed that all African FAs would sympathise with the football association of Guinea.

But he added that there are rules governing international football and those rules had to be respected.

Guinea's problem with Fifa begun after the government dissolved the FA in January following a series of poor results.

Fifa, in its continuing campaign to stop political interference in football administration world wide, called on the Guinean government to reverse its decision but the government ignored the call.

The Guinea FA, in the meantime, hurriedly organised a congress and elected new members to run football, but this move has not met with Fifa's approval.

Reacting to the statements by Fifa president, Sepp Blatter earlier this week, the Guinea sports minister Abdelkader Sangare told the BBC French Service that Guinea would not be dictated to by Fifa.

"Guinea is a sovereign country. Fifa is not going to tell us whether we can replace Guineans with Guineans or not," he said.

He added that he was prepared to face sanctions as it would be for the greater good of football in his country. Now "The Sylli National" - as the Guinean team is called - will almost certainly not be able to play South Africa in their World Cup Group E qualifying game scheduled for Port Elizabeth on March 10.

Guinea are two points behind South Africa, who lead the group, and were the Bafana Bafana's only realistic challengers.

The Fifa ban now means that Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali will represent Africa at the under-17 World Cup scheduled for Trinidad and Tobago in September.