(ATR) Palestine has been restored to the 2012 Olympic football qualifying tournament after Thailand – their first round conquerors – were found to have fielded an ineligible player.
The development comes as fresh talks between Palestinian and Israeli Olympic committees bring hopes of cooperation ahead of the London games.
In March, Thailand eliminated Palestine 5-4 on penalties in Ramallah after drawing 1-1 over two legs. The March 9 match was the first competitive international to be played on Palestinian soil since the formation of the country’s FA nearly half a century ago.
In the first leg in Bangkok, however, Thailand had illegally fielded Sucharit Chanthakul. The midfielder was under international suspension after having failed to see out a three-game ban imposed during the Asian Football Confederation's U-19 championships three years ago.
The omission came up when FIFA scrutinized the match details.
Palestine - and not Thailand - will now play Bahrain on June 18 and 23 as they seek to reach the London Olympics.
Thailand’s FA chairman Worawi Makudi claims the error is that of the AFC, saying its decision to overturn Thailand’s victory is "unacceptable".
"It was the match commissioner's mistake and not Thailand's," argued Makudi, a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1997.
FIFA dismissed Makudi's attempts to get the original result to stand on Wednesday.
The unexpected reprieve for the Palestinian team comes just a week after sport in the country received a boost following successful talks between the Israeli and Palestinian national Olympic committees in Rome.
For the first time the Israeli NOC recognized the problem of the freedom of movement for Palestinian athletes. It also invited Palestinian athletes to train with their Israeli counterparts ahead of next year’s Olympics.
"This is very important for the Palestinian people and I think it should also be important for the Israeli people," said Palestinian NOC and FA president Jibril Rajoub of the freedom of movement issue.
For more on the developing story, visit World Football Insider.
Written by James Corbett.
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