Confederation of Independent Football Associations
The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA. Currently, CONIFA is responsible for the organization of the ConIFA World Football Cup[2] and the CONIFA European Football Cup.
| Formation | 15th August 2013 |
|---|---|
| Type | Federation of associations |
| Headquarters | Luleå, Norrbotten, Sweden |
Membership | 59 Members |
Official languages | English is the official language for minutes, correspondence and announcements. French, German, Spanish and Italian are additional languages [1] |
President | Per-Anders Blind |
| Website | conifa.org |
History
World Cup:
Foundation
CONIFA was founded in 2013 to oversee international competition among the non-FIFA affiliated associations in the world. It is based in Luleå, Sweden.
Tournaments
World Football Cup
Main Article: CONIFA World Football Cup
European Football Cup
Main Article: CONIFA European Football Cup
Future Tournaments
- 2021 CONIFA Women's World Football Cup
- 2021 CONIFA Africa Football Cup
- 2021 CONIFA America Football Cup
- 2021 CONIFA Asian Football Cup
- 2021 CONIFA European Football Cup
- 2021 CONIFA Oceania Football Cup
Members
Types of members
CONIFA expressly uses the term "members" rather than "countries" or "states". A football association may be eligible to apply for membership of CONIFA if it, or the entity (ethnic and/or linguistic minority, indigenous group, cultural organization, territory) it represents, is not a member of FIFA and satisfies one or more of the following criteria:
- The Football Association is a member of one of the six continental confederations of FIFA, which are: AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, UEFA
- The entity represented by the Football Association is a member of the International Olympic Committee
- The entity represented by the Football Association is a member of one of the member federations of Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF)
- The entity represented by the Football Association is in possession of an ISO 3166-1 country code.
- The entity represented by the Football Association is a de facto independent territory. A territory is considered de facto independent if it meets all of the following criteria: (a) a well-defined territory; (b) a permanent population; (c) an autonomous government, and (d) diplomatic recognition by at least one of the Member States of the United Nations
- The entity represented by the Football Association is included on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories
- The entity represented by the Football Association is included in the directory of countries and territories of the Travelers' Century Club.
- The entity represented by the Football Association is a member of the UNPO and/or the FUEN
- The entity represented by the Football Association is a minority included in the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, maintained and published by Minority Rights Group International
- The entity represented by the Football Association is a linguistic minority, the language of which is included on the List of ISO 639-2 codes
List of members
As of December 2019[3]
| Team |
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Women's football
All members of CONIFA are encouraged to invest in women's football in their communities, and to create female national selections to play and compete against other CONIFA members.
CONIFA's first ever official women's football match took place on 10 November 2018 in Northern Cyrpus, with Sápmi ladies beating their Northern Cypriot hosts 4-0 in the Women's Friendship Cup [4]
Women's teams
Although all CONIFA members are encouraged to create a women's team, due to certain obstacles such as funding and other challenges, not all have been able to do so as of yet. Below is a list of CONIFA members who are confirmed as having a women's football team:
As of December 2019
| Team |
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| Team |
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| Team |
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Presidency
| No. | Name | Country of origin | Took office | Left office | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Per-Anders Blind | 7 June 2013 | Incumbent | ||
See also
References
- "CONIFA Constitution" (PDF). Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- Martyn-Hemphill, Richard (June 9, 2018). "In Alternative World Cup for Would-be Nations, Karpatalya Beats North Cyprus". The New York Times.
- "Members". CONIFA. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- "Sapmi Take Historic Win in First Women's Match". CONIFA. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
External links
- Official website (in English)
- Confederation of Independent Football Associations on Facebook (in English)
- Confederation of Independent Football Associations on Twitter
(in English) - Members of the Asian Football Federation (AFC)
- Members of the Confederation of African Football (CAF)
- Members of CONCACAF
- Members of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL)
- Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
- Members of UEFA
- Members of the International Olympic Committee
- Members of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations
- United Nations Membership List
- United Nations List of Non Self-Governing Territories
- Members of The Traveler's Century Club
- List of UNPO Members
- Map of FUEN Members
- World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous People
- ISO 639-2 Language Codes (Library of Congress)