Threatening an action that would have no hope of holding up should appeals be pursued to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, FIFA has told the Chilean federation that their national team will be expelled should [...]]]> There is no way FIFA excludes Chile from the World Cup, though the governing body has threatened to do so.

Threatening an action that would have no hope of holding up should appeals be pursued to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, FIFA has told the Chilean federation that their national team will be expelled should a domestic club, Rangers (from Talaca, about one hundred miles south of Santiago), not be persuaded to drop their civil suit against the league.

It’s confusing: Why FIFA has chosen to connect the national team to the actions of a club, but I go into it at World Soccer Digest:

Ironically (given their sensitivity), FIFA has few means of recourse when a one of its members’ clubs steps out of line. In typical international soccer fashion – where it is common to use the empty stadium as a means of punishing clubs and their supporters – FIFA punishes what it can, in whatever proportion (or disproportion) it wants, and uses fairness only in so far as it meets their ends (consolidating power).

This Rangers situation is the perfect example. Does Rangers – a relegation-battling club in Chile, about as far from Zurich as you can possibly get – pose any threat to FIFA? Of course not. Do the courts in Talca? No. Does FIFA benefit (either way) of Rangers get relegated? Let’s hope the organization isn’t that weak. So why even get involved?

You can read more here.