Bolivia slam altitude decision

Bolivia's soccer federation said yesterday FIFA had not gone far enough in relaxing a ban on high-altitude matches because it meant the nation's capital city of La Paz was still off limits.

FIFA said earlier it had decided to ease a ruling made last month and would allow international matches to be played at altitudes of up to 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) instead of 2,500 metres (8,200 feet).

"This decision... is a form of discrimination against countries that have high altitudes," Bolivian soccer federation president Carlos Chavez told a news conference in Venezuela, where Bolivia are taking part in the Copa America.

"I'll say it again: it's for Bolivians to decide where our international stadium is."

The Andean city of La Paz is 3,600 metres (11,800 feet) above sea level and oxygen levels are considerably lower than at sea level.

The South American football confederation, which has three members on the FIFA executive, disagreed with the ban following its own meeting earlier this month.

Bolivian president Evo Morales is due to meet FIFA president Sepp Blatter today at FIFA's Zurich headquarters to protest against the ban.

Earlier yesterday, Blatter told a news conference in Zurich: "There has been a huge political discussion around this decision, although it was taken solely to protect the players.

"We have spoken again to our medical commission who told us there is a margin concerning the medical issues and that with a specific tolerance limit we could go up to under 3,000 metres."

FIFA's original decision to prevent internationals being played at 2,500 metres and above led to widespread protests in several South American countries, including Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

The revised ruling means Quito (2,800 metres) and Bogota (2,600 metres), the capitals of Ecuador and Colombia, can stage matches.