Syria have been ejected from the 2014 FIFA World Cup for having used an ineligible player during their AFC Second Round matchup against Tajikistan. George Mourad, who scored in the first match against Tajikistan, had previously played for Sweden's senior national team in 2005 and had not received FIFA approval for his switch to the Syrian senior national team.
Mourad made his fourth and fifth appearances for the Syrian national squad in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after having made just two appearances for Sweden in his lifetime. Mourad was born in Lebanon to Syrian parents. Mourad's only ties to Sweden were his having played in the Swedish professional league between 2004 and 2008.
If anything, Mourad's two appearances for Sweden should be wiped from the record books. How he was eligible for the Swedish national team is not obvious, but one would imagine that his citizenship was expedited due to his footballing prowess in the national league, the Allsvenskan.
Syria are petitioning their suspension in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The first game of the next phase of qualifying had been scheduled to take place on 2 September 2011 between Syria and Uzbekistan on a neutral field as Syria have not been allowed to play at home by FIFA due to political unrest. Hopefully, the Court reinstates Syria because it would be a shame to have a strong team banished from the competition based on a technicality despite having thrashed Tajikistan 6-1 in their aggregate series.
Tajikistan have been inserted in Syria's position in Group C alongside Japan, Uzbekistan, and North Korea. This switch alleviates the pressure felt by the other three teams in what had been considered the Group of Death for the AFC Third Round.
Tajikistan's fixtures for the third round of Asian qualifying are given below.
2 September 2011
Uzbekistan at Tajikistan
6 September 2011
Tajikistan at North Korea
11 October 2011
Tajikistan at Japan
11 November 2011
Japan at Tajikistan
15 November 2011
Tajikistan at Uzbekistan
29 February 2012
North Korea at Tajikistan
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