JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Presidents of football federations in South and West Asia met in the Saudi capital Thursday with a senior FIFA official attending as an observer to start the formal process of establishing a new body for football to be known as the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF).
The Saudi-led initiative lists SWAFF as having 13 founding members that include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bahrain and the UAE.
Nations represented at the meeting other than the seven already mentioned included Nepal, Maldives, Yemen, Oman and Kuwait. However, this totes up to 12 member nations, which begs the question as to the identity of the thirteenth member nation.
According to statement released after the meeting, “the new organisation has been designed to improve the quality of football for people of all ages, genders and levels of ability in the region, which includes some of the world’s biggest frontier football nations such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and marks the next stage in the evolution of world football”.
“The nations of South and West Asia want to work with each other to grow football in the region, and to compete on a more equal playing field at future World Cup competitions and international tournaments,” Dr Adel Ezzat, president and chairman of Saudi Arabian Football Federation, said after the meeting.
Saudi Arabia is committed to help grow and resource football in the new region, Dr Ezzat said.
“When we spoke about governance, FIFA is really supporting and encouraging such initiatives, Gianni (Fifa President Gianni Infantino), by himself also welcomed the initiative,” said Abdulla Aljunaibi, vice-president of the UAE Football Federation.
Funds from new football events and commercial programs will be reinvested into football development to help create a new football sector and culture in member nations that is self-sufficient and fully transparent.
The stated agenda of the new body is to work with partners, governments, federations and other interested parties in the region to establish new football facilities, academies, and competitions, which will be developed in harmony and in collaboration with “FIFA, AFC, and Football Federations within South and West Asia, and within existing football structures, schedules and commitments”.
PR optics notwithstanding, however, there is no getting away from the fact that the Saudi-led move is also a consequence of the ongoing political tussle in the Gulf region between the two big powers Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the collateral damage/fallout being the tiny but wealthy emirate of Qatar.
The exclusion of West Asian heavyweights like Qatar and Jordan from this new federation is a clear indication of the political maneuverings at play.
Having said that, it is worth noting that SWAFF has got the necessary clearances from the Asian Football Confederation, the regional governing body. AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa met with Ezzat to discuss the formation of SWAFF last week, the AFC said in statement.
“We had an open and honest discussion on the formation of SWAFF and I made it clear to Mr Ezzat that the AFC had no objection … as long as it remains as a football body outside of the AFC’s zonal structure,” Shaikh Salman, a member of the Bahraini royal family, was quoted as saying.
“SWAFF can come into existence on the lines of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation or the Union of Arab Football Associations, which are not part of the AFC but serve the greater purpose of bringing together many Gulf and Arab countries for the sole purpose of football development.
“I am happy to note that Mr Ezzat agreed and confirmed that the establishment of SWAFF will not have any impact on the AFC’s five existing zones … and their current composition.”
For the record, there are 47 nations in the AFC, split into five regions — South, South-East, East, West and Central – primarily based on the continent’s geography.
