On the eve of a huge week of international football, Andean countries in South American are bracing themselves for all-out war with FIFA.

The trouble all began last Sunday, when FIFA announced that “for medical reasons and so to better protect the players, the executive committee has decided that from now international games at over 2,500-metres altitude will be banned.” Standing steadfast, FIFA president Sepp Blatter stated: “I know there will be complaints about this, especially from South America, but we have to think of the health of the players.”

FIFA’s medical policy takes on a discriminatory persona when you realise that the decision immediately ensures the capitals of Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador can no longer be venues for championship matches, in countries where football has the status of a national religion. Further affected are Peru, who stand to lose the right to host home matches at two stadiums in their country.

FIFA are facing a barrage of criticism for their decision. Bolivian President Evo Morales, a self-confessed football fanatic, has led the onslaught to have this decision overturned. He stated: "We hope they put their hands on their hearts to consider that this error discriminates and marginalises sport at altitude. We want to stop this injustice being committed because he who wins at high altitude, stands tall. There shouldn’t be any fear about playing sport at altitude.”

An enquiry into how this decision was taken is now in full swing. Old, deep-rooted South American rivalries have been publicly paraded as Brazil and Argentina have come under attack for being the men behind the curtain.

The FIFA decision followed a Copa Libertadores match in February between Brazilian club Flamengo and Bolivia’s Real Potosi, which was played in freezing rain at 4,000m. The Brazilian players took oxygen during the game, and eventually came from behind to draw 2-2. But officials of the influential club vowed never again to play at such high altitude, complaining of “unsporting and inhumane” conditions.

The mighty Brazilians have certainly suffered more than their fair share of upset defeats in Bolivia’s thin air. In 1993, their national team lost to Bolivia, in a World Cup qualifier. In 2000 it happened again in qualification. But these results came as no surprise as Bolivia have beaten Brazil on several occasions including an epic 5-4 win in 1963.

FIFA’s decision is an abuse of their powers. The organisation entrusted with preserving, spreading and developing the world's greatest sport have used their power to deny people the right to play football. This creates the complete opposite situation to what FIFA should be aiming to achieve.

The sham is further exposed when the weight of medical evidence supporting this ban is put under the spotlight. There have been no recorded deaths caused by playing football at high altitudes. And moreover, as the Peruvian squad national doctor Javier Arce points out: “If FIFA is banning high-altitude venues, it should do the same with stadiums in cities that have high temperatures like Sao Paulo and humidity like Buenos Aires, which also harm players’ health.”

The justification for this ban simply does not stand up to scrutiny and reasoned analysis. The men in suits from Zurich have once again shown themselves to be totally out of touch with worldwide grass-roots football. Home advantage is a fact of life in football. These people cannot change the environment into which they were born.

This decision takes on a new level of arrogance as FIFA think they have the power to stop the game from being played. It can't, and it won't.

The Andean countries have since threatened to withdraw from South America’s premier international tournament, the Copa America. This would be a disaster for both the continent and FIFA as a whole, and the governing body will be held responsible. The only sensible way out of this mess is for FIFA to review their decision and climb down from their very high horse.