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Published on October 31, 2007

The world soccer governing body's ruling was made on the ground that the Kuwaiti government had interfered in the election of the national association.

The suspension meant the Middle East country has been ruled out of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, which will resume in a fortnight.

Should the punishment remain effective, it could cause chaos with the qualifying process, which was already complicated.

According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), of the 19 qualified teams from the preliminary stage, the highest 11 on rankings move to the third round while the other eight face each other in the home-and-away format in the second round, with the first-leg ties being scheduled on November 9.

Kuwait, who were seeded eighth, were among the 11 to move directly into the third round. But, as a result of the suspension, one qualifying slot will be vacant.

To resolve the problem, the AFC might possibly decide to promote Syria, whose ranking is just outside the top 11. As that would leave only seven teams in the second round, Thailand could follow Syria into the next stage as the highest ranked team among the remaining seven.

Although there was a reasonable possibility this scenario would happen, Worawi Makudi, a Fifa board member and the president of the Football Association of Thailand, remained cautious about the Thai team's prospects.

"We should not rush to conclusions. Fifa might have wanted just to reprimand Kuwait. If they can give a decent explanation, there is a chance the ban will be lifted," said Worawi, who attended the Fifa meeting in Switzerland on Monday "In the event the punishment remains, let's see what approach the AFC takes to solve the issue. The best for us is to be ready for whatever the outcome may be."

The Nation