ESPNsoccernet: Global

FIFA has suspended El Salvador from all international tournaments, citing government interfere in issues of the national side as the reason for their decision.

FIFA gave the Salvadorian government until June 8 to respond to the punishment and the suspension will be ratified for at least one year by the FIFA Executive Committee if there is no agreement reached.

After the resignation of the last Salvadorian Federation president Rodrigo Calvo, FIFA appointed a Normalisation Commission to manage its finances, however the Government of El Salvador refused to recognise those authorities.

FIFA prohibits governments from interfering in the election of officials to run soccer and said in a statement:

"FIFA considers these facts to be a clear interference on the part of the government. Based on these serious facts, the emergency committee of FIFA has decided on a suspension with immediate effect."

Reynaldo Vasquez, current president of the country's federation, said a failure to find a solution by the June 8 deadline could affect the three-man refereeing team from El Salvador, which is due to officiate at the World Cup in South Africa.