Having taken note of the latest developments in Azerbaijani football, most notably the severe and unacceptable levels of external pressure in recent times, the FIFA Emergency Committee has decided to suspend the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA). This suspension comes into force immediately and will be in place until further notice.
Having made numerous appeals to bring the situation in the country back to normal, world football's governing body had no other choice than tosuspend the association. While this decision is certainly regrettable for Azerbaijani football, it was unavoidable due to the repeated violations of sport's fundamental ethical principles by organisations or bodies thathave not honoured the commitments they made when they signed an agreement in Zurich on 20 September 2002.
Nevertheless, the FIFA Emergency Committee has reconfirmed its support for the Executive Committee elected by the AFFA and insisted once again that the above-mentioned agreement be implemented in its entirety. As a result of this suspension, the clubs and representative teams of Azerbaijan are no longer permitted to take part in international matches, whether friendly or competitive. Furthermore, the AFFA no longer has the right to vote at any Congresses held by international football bodies.
FIFA Communications Division Zurich, 15 April 2003
