MP brandishes prosecution over sports issue – FIFA hit on ‘friendly’ threat

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KUWAIT CITY, Dec 11: Chairman of the Youth and Sports Committee of the National Assembly Abdullah Al- Mayouf said the committee will refer sports issue to the Public Prosecution if corrupt practices have been proven. He pointed out the committee is planning to recommend the evacuation of the Football Association premises and dismissal of the officials “because these officials do not deserve to be there since they don’t know how to run the soccer affairs in the country.”

In a press release, Al-Mayouf explained after the National Assembly sent the latest sports recommendations to the Youth and Sports Committee, the issue will be investigated thoroughly and will ask the Public Authority for Sports to provide the committee copies of all correspondences pertaining to the Kuwait Football Association.

At the same time, Mayouf said he is surprised over the latest remarks issued by the International Football Federation (FIFA) saying it wants to punish any registered player taking part in the friendly game which will be played on the occasion of the opening of the Jaber Stadium. He indicated this game is the pride of the Kuwaiti nation since the event has the patronage of HH the Amir.

He asked, “What is the relation with international ban on friendly matches since the Kuwait Football Association is not involved in any way. “These are malicious plans which seek to destroy the Kuwaiti sports just because two Sheikhs Ahmed Al-Fahd and Talal Al- Fahd want to revenge what has happened in the political arena. Now it is becoming crystal clear that all the damage to Kuwaiti sports is done due to selfish interests.” He added: “Every day we establish the fact that there are those who seek to harm the reputation of Kuwait, especially sports, and today the same people want to sabotage the opening ceremony of the Jaber International Stadium.”

Mayouf went on to say “We don’t honor the Kuwait Football Association taking part in the opening ceremony, because it is the association that has deprived the youth sports from participating in foreign tournaments. He continued: “Unfortunately, Sheikhs Ahmed Al-Fahd and Talal began dispatching ‘boys’ who work in the Asian federations and international organizations to damage the reputation of the country’s sports more than the earlier situation.”

Meanwhile, a member of Kuwait’s parliamentary delegation, MP Ouda Al- Ruwaie confirmed efforts continue to fight international terrorism and to dry up the financial resources of similar groups. This came in a speech given Al-Ruwaie on behalf of the Kuwaiti Parliamentary Delegation Friday in front of the Standing Committee of Political Affairs which was on the agenda of the Eighth Conference of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly which is being hosted by Cambodia and scheduled to conclude Saturday. In the area of support for international efforts to combat extremism and terrorism, Al-Ruwaie confirmed Kuwait has signed 11 international conventions to fight terrorism in accordance with Article 177 of the Kuwaiti Constitution and the State’s commitment.

He noted efforts are exerted by the State of Kuwait to dry up the financial resources of terrorism in line with Law No. 2013/106 of the Central Bank of Kuwait concerning development and updating of money laundering and terrorism financing and the issuance of the Ministerial Resolution No. 5/2014 concerning regulations for the implementation of Security Council resolutions adopted under Chapter seven (7) of the United Nations Charter related to terrorism and its financing.

He added the practice of democracy in Kuwait is well established and embodied in its Constitution which includes five chapters and 183 articles that work to draw the basic features of the nature of governance and identifies the rights and duties of citizens which have become an integrated approach to the lives of Kuwaitis based on the principle of social justice and equality in opportunity and freedom. That freedom and democracy, he said, is measured by one’s ability to take decisions or determine the choices of his own as it also means freedom from the constraints of human energies and production, whether material or moral or other restrictions. He explained absolute freedom leads to absolute chaos and therefore there must be strict controls for the exercise of freedom in the right manner.

He added, “Freedom does not mean anarchy and there must be a legal and moral restriction to control freedom and we should not measure freedoms in the communities which have different cultural and historical backgrounds with the same standards. He added, terrorism unfortunately has become part of everyday life at the moment as news about terrorism dominates the media and social networking websites. He noted terrorism has neither religion nor state but has affected the international community. He called on the Asian Parliamentary Assembly to adopt effective and clear policies in drawing a future free from terrorism and strengthen democracy and peace by issuing binding legislation to the parliaments of member states to disseminate the cultural and political awareness to criminalize the principles and objectives of terrorism, and activate security and economic cooperation to eradicate terrorism in Asia

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff

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