FIFA vice-president Jack Warner - Reuters

ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC):

FIFA, the world's governing body for football, has overturned the decision taken by CONCACAF president, Jack Warner to suspend the local association board and replace it with an interim committee.

Following Warner's decision last month, Dominica Football Association (DFA) president, Dexter Francis lodged a complaint to the Independent FIFA Ethics Committee, chaired by Lord Sebastien Coe.

The matter was referred to FIFA's Members Associations Committee, who, after hearing the case on Tuesday in Zurich, said that it had discussed in detail Dominica's case and recognised the democratically and rightfully elected president, Dexter Francis and his board as being in charge of football in Dominica and being fully responsible for organising football in Dominica.

But FIFA has warned that if the current state of affairs does not improve, the DFA could face suspension from all international football activities for an extended period of time.

In the correspondence dated February 7 from FIFA secretary Jerome Valcke and copied to Warner, the association's committee also requested that all suspensions enforced during the period of crisis be lifted and that all court cases filed during this time to be withdrawn. The DFA has suspended 10 teams and clubs for misconduct.

Parties acknowledged

The association's committee has also appealed to all parties involved to engage in a process of reconciliation in the interest of the football family in Dominica and to prove that they can work in the best interest of football.

The letter further stressed that FIFA and CONCACAF would continue to closely monitor the developments in the long-running dispute.

In an effort to solve the feud in local football which started last June, Warner, along with FIFA development officer, Harold Taylor, paid a one-day visit to Dominica on January 15, where they met with various stakeholders.

Warner, also a FIFA vice-president, suspended the entire Board of Management led by embattled president Francis and replaced it with an interim committee, headed by Dominica Olympic Committee president, Rosanne Pringle.

Following Francis' complaint to FIFA, a two-man delegation comprising Hugo Salcedo and Urs Zanitti paid a four-day, fact-finding visit to the island where they held extensive discussions with the various stakeholders.

The case was then brought before FIFA.

As a step towards the healing process, FIFA has invited DFA president Dexter Francis and the man he replaced, former president Patrick John, to Zurich later this month.

At that meeting, the two individuals are expected to present their solutions on how to overcome the impasse.