"The Sheikh"

Day -981. ‎WorldCup2018‬.

Fifa has suspended the Kuwait Football Association over governemnet interference. This has happened quite often, usually with African countries, suspended by Fifa or the IOC. Amid the threats of permanent suspension, the ban is usually overturned by the time the next Olympic Games or World Cup qualifying matches come around. So do not be surprised to see the suspension revoked and all the reasons for the suspension resolved by November 17th when Kuwait play their next match. 

The more interesting side story to this is that Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, of Kuwait, is a member of Fifa's executive committee and his position has "not been effected" by the suspension. "The Shiekh" as he has come to be known, is described as an "influential sports power broker". He is the president of the powerful Association of National Olympic Committees, he also heads up the Olympic Council of Asia and is in charge of the IOC’s solidarity commission.
From The Guardion, June 2015:
"In Buenos Aires (at the IOC meeting in 2013 to decide the hosts of the 2020 Olympics) he scored a hat-trick by helping Thomas Bach ascend to the IOC presidency, successfully backing his chosen host, Tokyo, for the 2020 Summer Games and ensuring wrestling retained its Olympic slot."

And, very interestingly with all the recent going-ons at Fifa: "Before the recent Fifa election he acted as Blatter’s muscle in the region, part of an attempt to out manoeuvre the president’s challenger, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein".

No conclusion to write yet because the story about The Shiekh is not over.