Kuwait MPs File to Question Minister over Sports Ban
Three Kuwaiti opposition lawmakers filed Sunday a request to question the minister of youth and information, Sheikh Salman Humoud al-Sabah, for allegedly failing to resolve a 14-month international sports ban.
Waleed al-Tabtabai, Al-Humaidi al-Subaie and Abdulwahab al-Babtain also accused Sheikh Salman of squandering public funds and committing financial and administrative violations in the youth and information ministries.
Under Kuwaiti law, he would be questioned during a parliamentary debate at the next session, which is due to be held on January 31, unless the minister requests a delay.
The debate could lead to a vote of no-confidence which, if approved by parliament, would mean his dismissal.
World football's governing body FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Kuwait in October 2015, for the second time since 2010, over alleged government meddling in sports.
The three MPs say that the minister "did not take the required measures to resolve the sports problem in Kuwait and lift the suspension".
They also accuse Sheikh Salman, a member of the ruling family, of playing a key role in the previous pro-government parliament that led to legislation they say violates the Olympic charter.
Last month, the minister and the public sports authority requested IOC and FIFA to temporarily lift the suspension and pledged to amend controversial sports legislation, under pressure from parliament.
But the two sports bodies rejected Kuwait's request and the IOC demanded specific measures before ending the suspension.
Besides amending sports laws, the IOC asked the authorities to immediately reinstate the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee dissolved along with several sports federations in August.
It also demanded that Kuwait withdraw all cases filed in Swiss courts against international sports bodies, claiming the suspension was illegal.
As a result of the ban, Kuwait was barred last week from taking part in qualifiers for the 2019 Asian Cup.
The wealthy emirate has already missed out on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
Analysts say the crisis was partly caused by a political struggle involving senior ruling family members and politicians.
Source: Agence France Presse
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