Bolivia livid at rules limiting soccer highs

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They’re at it again, the soccer party poopers. And Bolivian President Evo Morales is vowing to challenge this affront to the beautiful game. His Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, likewise promised to stand up for ‘the universal character of futbol and the right to practice sport where one is born and lives,’’ as Los Tiempos newspaper reported.

At issue is the latest effort by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, to remove its stamp of approval from matches played in stadiums at high altitudes. South America, with its sundry cities in the clouds, would be hardest-hit.

Officials cite potential health problems for players used to kicking the ball at lower altitudes. Teams from sea-level squads in Argentina and Brazil have long complained about a competitive disadvantage. In May, FIFA tried to ban international matches above 2,500 meters (8,200 feet). Bolivia’s Morales, an ardent sportsman, led the charge against that ‘discriminatory’’ action, eventually forcing the soccer sovereigns to back down.

But last weekend FIFA did it again, allowing international matches above 2,750 meters only if players were allowed to ‘acclimatize.’’ How much time is needed to ‘acclimatize’’ to a town like La Paz (3,600 meters, almost 12,000 feet) varies; some people never get used to the place, where a block-long uphill walk can leave the unwary gasping for oxygen. Arriving here by plane can be a particular shock: The capital’s airport stands at an elevation of some 13,600 feet, less than 1,000 feet below the top of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States.

To illustrate his point about soccer’s height adaptability, Morales, a native of the high-plains altiplano, played a pickup game on a snowbound volcano at 6,000 meters (almost 20,000 feet!) earlier this year. Even the intrepid Evo admitted being a bit gassed afterward.

— Patrick J. McDonnell in La Paz