To qualify, Syria would have to beat Australia over two MLB 18 Stubs games in October and then overcome a CONCACAF opponent in a November playoff round.When Syria drew in Iran on Tuesday in qualifying, there were celebrations home back in the capital Damascus. What makes Syria's progress on the field even more remarkable is the team is playing as a civil war rages.
That is also what makes the prospect of a Syrian team packed with government supporters appearing at the World Cup potentially problematic for critics of the President Bashir Assad's regime.FIFA rules say politics should be separated completely from the soccer.A World Cup trip next June by Assad to Russia, Syria's chief international ally, could rapidly become a sensitive issue for FIFA.
Without citing any country, the Asian Football Confederation opened an investigation on Wednesday into rule breaches linked to the need for national teams to respect political neutrality.__DUTCH DESPAIRThe Netherlands is facing missing a second straight major tournament, with even a place in the playoffs slipping out of sight. The 2010 World Cup finalists were dealt one of the hardest groups, but a 4-0 loss to leader France last week showed the size of the gulf between Dick Advocaat's side and the continental powers.
The Dutch are third in their group with two games cheap MLB The Show 18 Stubs remaining, three points behind their final group opponent, Sweden. Although France leads the group from Sweden, Les Bleus have carelessly dropped points in a late defeat to Sweden in June and a 0-0 home draw with lowly Luxembourg.