FIFA opposed to all boycotts, says Blatter

Soccer's world governing body is opposed to all boycotts of international sporting events and the Beijing Olympics is no exception, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said yesterday.

Blatter, speaking at the draw for the men's and women's soccer tournaments for the Beijing Games, said he was confident that all the footballers selected for their national teams would turn up in August.

The final few months of preparations for the Games have been overshadowed by protests - mainly aimed at the Olympic torch relay - after China's crackdown on deadly riots in Tibet last month.

"FIFA's position on the question of boycotts has always been the same: boycotts will never add anything, especially not to sport," he said.

"We do not enter into discussions (about) whether there can be or will be any boycotts. It does not exist in the FIFA philosophy to boycott any international sporting competition."

Blatter, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, was equally firm in his opinion about the protests that have dogged the international legs of the torch relay.

"We have an Olympic torch that represents a message and an ideal of the Olympic spirit," he said.

"If such a torch is not able to be paraded around the world, then something is wrong with the world, not the Olympic torch."

When asked about the freedom of athletes to express their opinions on human rights issues at the Games, Blatter was succinct.

"I would say exactly, either you are a sportsman and you go to the sports competition or you are not," he said.

"It is in our statutes that nobody has to play in any international team, but so far in football everyone has always wanted to come. I'm sure it will be the same this year ... they will all come."

Soccer draw

Men
Group A (Shanghai) - Ivory Coast; Argentina; Australia; Serbia.
Group B (Tianjin) - Netherlands; Nigeria; Japan; US.
Group C (Shenyang) - China; New Zealand; Brazil; Belgium.
Group D (Qinhuangdao) - South Korea; Cameroon; Honduras; Italy.

Women
Group E (Tianjin) - China; Sweden; Argentina; Canada.
Group F (Shenyang) - North Korea; Nigeria; Germany; Brazil.
Group G (Qinhuangdao) - Norway; US; Japan; New Zealand.

• The tournaments are scheduled to take place from August 6-23.