FIFA's official website said Wednesday that the world soccer governing body had decided to suspend the membership of the Macao Football Association (AFM). The suspension brings to a halt all of AFM's international soccer activities, including the soccer matches for the East Asian Games in October.

The suspended activities include foreign teams' participation in matches held in Macao and matches of Macao teams abroad, Macao's participation in regional tournaments and Macao's electoral rights in international soccer organizations. FIFA also stopped all the financial aid to the AFM.

Macao Sport Development Board Acting President Vong Iao Lek told Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday that FIFA had sent a letter to the board inquiring into its alleged interference with AFM's election of a new president in October last year. He said that FIFA apparently was not satisfied with Macao's answer.

Reportedly, internal contradictions in the leadership of the AFM led to the resignations of over half of the board members and the subsequent election. Victor Cheong Lup Kuan was named president of the newly elected board. The government ratified his victory and the new board.

However, FIFA believes the election result was due to government interference, which is against FIFA rules.

In a letter from FIFA to AFM's former president, Andy Chui Vai Pui, FIFA said it still considered Chui to be president of the Macao soccer body.

"FIFA's decision came all of a sudden," said Vong. "We had not been notified in any form about it beforehand. However, we still hope to help the AFM solve the problem as soon as possible."

Cheong said that the association would try its utmost to resolve the issue with FIFA before the 4th East Asian Games (EAG) to be held in Macao this October, for which the government has set a budget of 2.6 billion patacas (US$333.3 million) in infrastructure construction.

Cheong rejected FIFA's claims that the association's election was undemocratic and the government interfered in its internal affairs. He said that he was directly elected by 55 members from 63 soccer organizations affiliated with the AFM. The election was held legitimately and acknowledged by the local government.

Manuel Silverio, president of the Macao Sport Development Board and also chairman of the organizing committee of the 4th EAG, said on Wednesday that Macao is willing to mediate in resolving the "misunderstanding" between FIFA and the AFM.

He added that FIFA could not unilaterally cancel the soccer matches in the EAG. If participating countries agreed to send their teams, EAG's soccer matches would go on.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn February 17, 2005)