KUALA LUMPUR: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Asean today signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost regional cooperation in football development, culminating in the announcement of a new FIFA Asean Cup.
The MoU was signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn, and witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Infantino said the agreement marked a new chapter for football in Southeast Asia, with all 11 Asean member countries – now including Timor-Leste – joining the initiative.
“A great honour it is for me to be here today in this beautiful country of Malaysia, here in Asean, in the company of the Sports and Youth Minister,” Infantino said.
“It was also an honour to have been received yesterday by the Prime Minister, and today, to sign this new MoU.”
He said the partnership would focus on three main pillars – integrity, safety, and education – to develop football at all levels across the region.
“The first is integrity – integrity in the game. The second is ensuring a safe and secure environment for football.
“And the third is education – education through football, education in football development for girls and boys, women and men, across the whole region,” he said.
Infantino announced that the new FIFA Asean Cup would be organised jointly with Asean governments and football associations.
“We are launching this competition to give a real boost to football. To feature the best players within FIFA’s international match calendar – and to make it truly impactful in the region and shine across the entire world,” he said.
“Football unites the world. We are uniting the world together with all 11 Asean countries. We are uniting nations, creating the FIFA Asean Cup, and I am confident it will be a huge success for this region.”
In his remarks, Anwar reaffirmed Asean’s full commitment to supporting football as a unifying force for youth development and regional solidarity.
“Asean leaders are totally committed to supporting football – the people’s game, the game of the youth, and one of the world’s most popular sports,” he said.
Anwar said Asean’s cooperation with FIFA would help ensure young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have equal access to sporting opportunities.
“We have the experience, and we want to share it with the young – particularly those from the poorer segments of our population, the urban youth, and those in rural and heartland areas.
“So that they too can receive the same encouragement, opportunities, and support,” he said.
The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to FIFA for its encouragement and support and welcomed the renewal of the MoU between Asean and FIFA.
On the sidelines, Infantino also responded to a question about FIFA’s position on Israel’s qualification for the World Cup, reiterating that the organisation’s role is to promote peace and unity through sport.
Although offering a cautious response, he stressed that FIFA’s focus remains on bringing people together through football.
“We are all for peace – for uniting people and bringing them together. From a FIFA point of view, we want to unite everyone. We want to bring people together, build bridges, and keep the bridges that already exist.
“Football and sport must always aim to unite and bring people together, and at least through sport, we want to be able to achieve that.”
