TOBefore the decision communicated on Friday afternoon by FIFA, it was UEFA that decided something similar in the Executive meeting in London in the middle of the European Championship. The body chaired by Aleksander Ceferin rejected the request made by the Basque Football Federation to become a full member of the body “unanimously”, with which, in no case, is there the possibility of a hypothetical Basque team playing international competitions.
Luis Rubiales from the first moment opposed and showed his rejection of the initiative of the Basque Federation to be recognized as a full member. In fact, the clear opposition of Hispaniola demolished any argument beyond what the regulations of both FIFA and UEFA reflect.
The Basque Federation’s request to FIFA to become one more Federation, independent from the Spanish one, has been rejected by the highest body in world football. FIFA’s argument for rejecting the proposal is very simple: it does not meet the legal criteria set out in the FIFA regulations.
The decision has already been sent to the Basque Federation and now they could go to the TAS (court of sports arbitration) if they consider that their request has a legal basis. Luis Mari Elustondo, president of the Federation, traveled to both Zurich and Nyon last December to the headquarters of FIFA and UEFA, but in neither was he received by any official.
FIFA states that the Basque Autonomous Community is an autonomous community within the Kingdom of Spain and, as such, not an independent state recognized by the international community, and that the documentation included in its application to join FIFA does not demonstrate that the Community Autonomous Basque is, in fact, a country as defined above.
