Disappointing news for Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia: FIFA says no more international soccer games above 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) in altitude. So much for the legendary home field advantage courtesy of the rarefied Andean air.
Football’s governing body, Fifa, has banned international matches from being played at more than 2,500m (8,200ft) above sea level.
Fifa said the decision was made because of concerns over players’ health and possible distortion of competition.
The ruling was greeted with dismay in Latin America, notably in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, where games in La Paz are played at 3,600m (11,811ft).
Bolivia’s President, Evo Morales, vowed to lead a campaign against the ban.
Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting, Mr Morales said the ruling amounted to discrimination.
“This is not only a ban on Bolivia, it’s a ban on the universality of sports,” he told reporters.
Mr Morales also said he would send a high-level delegation to Fifa’s headquarters in Zurich and called on other countries to join his campaign.
And for Spanish readers out there, here’s a story in Hoy Online, a daily paper in Quito, Ecuador, with the reaction from the mitad del mundo.