LA PAZ, Dec 17: Bolivian President Evo Morales has criticised FIFA’s decision to introduce a ban on international football matches over 2,750 metres above sea level without acclimatisation.

“I want to express my surprise at this decision by FIFA. It’s discrimination, against people who live at high altitude,” Morales told state news agency ABI after a kickabout with police officers in La Paz, which lies 3,600 metres above sea level.

“It’s not right that they don’t understand the situation of Potosi, Oruro or La Paz,” he added, referring to two other Andean cities with leading national teams.

FIFA announced its latest altitude ruling on Saturday in Japan. It said players would need sufficient time to acclimatise if playing above 2,750 metres, though it did not say how much.

Earlier this year, FIFA banned matches at over 2,500 metres, a decision which caused an outcry in Bolivia and elsewhere in South America.

FIFA later backtracked after a high-profile campaign led by Morales, which included a match between his presidential aides and a university team on a volcano at more than 5,000 metres.

—Reuters