Four South Asian countries jointly write to FIFA
Four South Asian nations, namely Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, have joined hands in support of proposals to review the international match calendar, while the global governing body of football, FIFA, too has acknowledged its support to the notion.
The proposal, as it explains in an official press release issued by the four nations, is a healthy one which gives equal share to all nations, mainly from the Asian region when it comes to global events such as the World Cup.
“Four-year gaps between FIFA World Cup is too great – and the window of opportunity too small – to preclude whole generations of talent. Less than a quarter of current AFC (Asian) member associations have been represented in almost a century of FIFA World Cup finals in a situation where these tournaments are the real drivers of development,” the press release stated.
FIFA explains that the increasing global competitiveness has been the key to developing the sport and it is pleased to add its voice to the debate in view of making the worldwide calendar fit for the modern age.
“The four-year cycle of the FIFA World Cup has been set in stone ever since 1930, the inaugural tournament, where no Asian nation was represented, and at a time that actually pre-dates the foundation of our four associations,” the appeal forwarded by football officials of Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka stated.
“Fans of our sport across our four member associations are well-versed in the clubs. players and traditional of leagues and competitions in Europe, but football is a truly global sport, and Asia is an equal shareholder in that,” acknowledging the concerns raised by the four nations, FIFA added.
“Our aspiring players, coaches and officials should have a dream of playing their part in a truly global sport. Equally, if we are to grow as ‘footballing’ nations, then our fans should be as inspired by the achievements and potential of their heroes in our national teams as in worldwide stars performing overseas. That is why we (along with 162 other members) voted in favour of a review of the international match calendar at the 71st FIFA Congress earlier this year,” the South Asian counterparts further detailed.
The joint statement also explains that it is fundamentally important as elite events are the foundation for youth football and the consistency that regular competition brings.
“Annual youth tournaments would only aid that development and we welcome Arsène Wenger’s support in bringing these arguments to the fore during this debate. Every talent – every country – deserves a chance,” it added.
The joint media release was issued by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Football Association of Maldives (FAM), All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). The statement is confident that uniting in support of proposals to review the FIFA international match calendar could impact the debate and can only be positive for modernisation of the sport.