FIFA has received official correspondence from Iraq's government, raising the possibility that world soccer's governing body could lift its international ban before Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Australia. A spokesman said the FIFA executive had received official notice from Iraq on Wednesday, just over 24 hours before the deadline to lift the ban was due to expire. “We have received a correspondence from the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Iraq,” the spokesman said. “At the moment we are analyzing the correspondence. It is too early to speculate on what will happen.” FIFA slapped a temporary suspension on the Iraqi soccer team on Monday and threatened to extend the ban to one year after the government announced last week they were disbanding their National Olympic Committee. FIFA said Iraq's actions breached FIFA regulations outlawing political interference. Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, urged the Iraqi government to stop interfering in sport and reverse their decision, saying they also risked being banned from this year's Beijing Olympics. Asia can host 2018 Cup Asia has a genuine chance of beating any European bid to host the 2018 World Cup, Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam told Reuters on Wednesday. Australia and China plan to submit bids and Qatar may also join the race but they face a tough challenge from European countries including Russia, England, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. According to British media on Wednesday, the US was also considering a bid to stage the tournament. With the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 edition in Brazil, Europe is looming as the early favorite to host the tournament in 2018. But president of the Asian Football Confederation Bin Hammam said he believed Asia, which hosted the World Cup in 2002 – in Japan and South Korea – for the only time, had equal claims. “Of course Asia has a great chance,” he told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. “Nothing is automatic, there's no rotation system anymore. It could go anywhere,” he said. “I think we need to bring the World Cup to Asia in 2018.” Bin Hammam said Asia's best chance of winning the event was if the whole region joined forces to support a single bid but he would still encourage multiple bidders. EU against quotas The European Commission will take legal action against any country that introduces controversial FIFA plans to limit the number of foreigners at soccer clubs, it said on Wednesday. Blatter told Reuters he would push ahead with his plans despite the EU executive's strongest warning yet over the implementation of the so-called “6+5 rule” – limiting the number of foreign players starting any club match to five. “The Commission is giving a red card to the 6+5 rule,” EU Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla told reporters. “If any country allows its soccer associations or leagues, they will be in violation of EU rules which would oblige the Commission to apply infringement proceedings (court action).” Blatter said he still intended to put his plan before FIFA's congress in Sydney on Friday, despite Brussels' assertion that it contravenes the 27-member bloc's laws on the free movement of workers and could end up before the European Court of Justice.
