FIFA lifts Kuwait’s 2-year ban from international soccer

In-this-Friday,-Oct.-21,-2016-file-photo,-Kuwait's-Sheikh-Ahmad-Al-Fahad-Al-Ahmed-Al-Sabah,-president-of-the-Association-of-National-Olympic-Committees-(ANOC)-speaks-at-the-European-Olympic-Committees-General-Assembly-in-Minsk,-Belarus.-Three-soccer-officials-who-pleaded-guilty-in-American-courts-to-accepting-bribes-were-banned-for-life-by-the-FIFA-ethics-committee-on-Tuesday-Nov.-21,-2017.-(Sergei-Grits,-File/AP)

In this Friday, Oct. 21, 2016 file photo, Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) speaks at the European Olympic Committees General Assembly in Minsk, Belarus. Three soccer officials who pleaded guilty in American courts to accepting bribes were banned for life by the FIFA ethics committee on Tuesday Nov. 21, 2017. (Sergei Grits, File/AP)

ZURICH — FIFA says it has lifted Kuwait’s ban from international soccer.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is in Kuwait to confirm the government is no longer interfering in how the soccer federation is being run.

FIFA says the "Kuwait Parliament has adopted a new sports law" which complies with its statutes.

The ban was imposed in October 2015, leaving Kuwait unable to play its World Cup qualifiers. Because the 2019 Asian Cup qualifying program was linked to the World Cup, Kuwait also dropped out of the continental competition.

Kuwait remains suspended by the International Olympic Committee. Its athletes competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics as an independent team.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.