KUALA LUMPUR: Fifa president Gianni Infantino unveiled a new regional football tournament, Fifa Asean Cup, which will involve all 11 South-East Asian nations on Sunday (Oct 26).
Infantino said the tournament will be held during the Fifa International Match Calendar to create greater impact in the region, which has a population of about 700 million people.
"We are launching this competition to give a real boost to football, featuring the best players within the framework of Fifa’s international match calendar, to make it truly impactful in the region and shine on the global stage.
"Football unites the world and together with all 11 Asean countries, we are creating the Fifa Asean Cup. It’s a tournament that will bring the region together and become a huge success,” he said.
He said this after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on regional football development on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) here.
The MoU was signed by Infantino and Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn, witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his capacity as the Asean 2025 Chair.
Infantino said the world football governing body is determined to strengthen its efforts and expand development initiatives in the region through the MoU.
"The first pillar, of course, is integrity in the game. The second is ensuring a safe and secure environment for matches. The third is education, promoting learning through football and fostering development for girls, boys, women and men across the region.
"Asean now has 11 countries, which, as you know, is a magic number in sport. A football team is composed of 11 players, so now the team is there - ready to win matches - and we at Fifa look forward to continuing our collaboration with Asean based on these key principles,” he said.
Meanwhile, when asked about the alleged double standards in handling the Israel and Russia situations, Infantino expressed optimism about recent peace initiatives between Israel and Palestine following the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.
He said the summit marked a significant step towards global reconciliation and cooperation, adding that the spirit of peace was also reflected today through the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.
"From Fifa’s point of view, our mission is to unite everyone, to build and preserve bridges among people and nations, because football and sport must strive to unite and bring people together. At least through sport, we want to be able to achieve that,” he said. - Bernama
