Real and Barcelona face threat of expulsion

Spain could be sweeped out of Euro 2008 and Real Madrid and Barcelona thrown out of the Champions League if the Spanish government keeps putting pressure on the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to hold an early election, has said the Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

"If the Spanish government, through their Sports Council (CSD), continue to interfere in football affairs they will have to recognize that their clubs and national team will be dropout from international tournaments," Blatter said. "It would be tough, but it would only take six hours to call a Fifa emergency committee meeting to hear and decide upon Spain's exclusion. Spain would not be able to play at Euro 2008 and their clubs wouldn't continue in the Champions League or Uefa Cup."

Blatter's support for Angel Maria Villar, the RFEF president, comes after the CSD called for all sporting federations not involved in the Olympic Games to hold elections before Beijing 2008, which happens in August.

"It [government intervention in football affairs] is not a new problem for Fifa," Blatter said. "It first occurred in Portugal where a letter from us was sufficient to change the law governing sport. In Greece, we had to suspend their federation indefinitely and everything was sorted out in 48 hours.