The Global Game: Non-FIFA International Football - A World Of Its Own

Goal.com's Ewan Macdonald takes a look at international football with a difference...

Nov 11, 2009 9:00:43 PM

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'The Global Game' is a new Goal.com series that examines the impact of football around the world from a variety of perspectives: the international, the intranational, the local, the global. Whether it's about player migration, local identity or the blurring of borders, we bring you illuminating and exciting stories from around the world of football.

The appointment of Johan Cruyff as coach of the Catalan national team has sparked a new wave of interest in non-FIFA football.

The Catalunya squad only play one game a year, but it's a source of pride for many in the community that they are able to do so at all.

Yet for other nations and groups, the non-FIFA game is about more than the occasional exhibition match. Indeed, far away from the marbled halls of Zurich and the 90,000-plus crowds at the World Cup are dozens of sides looking to succeed at international level.

Names like Zanzibar, Northern Cyprus, Aland and Bonaire, among others, compete at varying levels of competition.

Some, like Greenland and Padania, are extremely successful; others, such as Sark, play very occasionally and generally end up succumbing to heavy defeats.

Yet that such teams are able to compete at all is testament to the good work of both their own associations and the main governing bodies, such as the NF-Board (non-FIFA board) and the Island Games association.

But we're about to see that not all is peaceful in this realm of non-FIFA football...

Life

The NF-Board are the biggest players in the non-FIFA world. With a wealth of experience both in tournament organisation and football governance, they bring with them credibility and popularity.

This is exemplified by the VIVA World Cup, a bi-annual tournament (or annual - this seems to change) which is about to have its fourth edition in 2010. Reigning champions Padani edged out Iraqi Kurdistan in the last edition in front of a respectable crowd of over 4,000 in Verona.

With professional players taking part for the hosts, it was seen as a triumph of a tournament, and one that is for one man in particular the culmination of decades of work.

Jean-Luc Kit, co-founder, spoke to Goal.com about the VIVA World Cup and his work in general.

"Our goal was to help the FA non-affiliated teams in FIFA to play international matches. I've been out in the field meeting the main FAs for more than 36 years now, and it was time to create the NFB in 2003," he said.

"The showpiece NFB tournament, the VIVA World Cup, is an annual affair, with the next event to take place on the Maltese island of Gozo in 2010.

"It will be a great fiesta for the sport in a great year of international football! A delegation from the NFB travelled to Gozo recently, and it all sounds so perfect! I can tell you also that we just returned from Iraqi Kurdistan this week, and all of the people want to host this competition in 2012. The Executive Committee's decision will come in April 2010.

"The tournament itself is special because it offers great football while respecting the laws of the game, the referees and brings real enthusiasm from the media and our famous 3rd Half Times publication.

"It was so difficult to start in 2006. But now, since the last edition, the future will be great for the non-FIFA scene. The VIVA World Cup TM will be the main event of this scene and is a fantastic experience that everyone should discover in Gozo."

Politics

The powers that be in the non-global game are united by one ideal: that football is apolitical. It is an article of faith that the sullying of the game by politics is to be avoided, and that such views and controversies are left behind on the pitch.

Paradoxically, though, the world of non-FIFA football itself has recently been beset by internal wrangling.

The NF-Board, long since the major player in the non-FIFA game, has recently been subject to a usurpation attempt by a rival, the new International Football Union.

During their talks with Goal.com the respective organisations were keen to play down the importance of the other, but it was more than evident that bitterness lingered.

The NF-Board has much more to lose, but also has a much stronger starting position. After all, with relatively few resources this organisation has managed to stage their tournament on three occasions and attract members from all corners of the globe.

In response to the recent IFU challenge, Kit made it clear at this point that he was speaking not as a member of the NFB but purely as an individual.

"For me, in my position as a football historian and statistician, I can't speak about the IFU. I have never heard of them in my 35 years of experience, maybe they're a UFO," he said.

"Seriously, the NFB is real, working hard and is a serious organisation with great experience. We are on the front-lines as we go to the fields, meet with the FAs, and work for our VIVA World Cup TM. We are far from the virtual world of the internet and do just not sit on our sofas. We in the NFB speak and realise our plans. Who are the members of this UFO? They speak about their great experience, their help to the FAs, their financial help...

"As far as I know, they contacted our FA members and confused them a great deal. They only have a website with modern colours and design, and what else?

"We could speak about the IGA, and it would be a serious discussion, for example. The Island Games are wonderful, and we have some good relations with them. We could speak about FIFI, and in the past, we have helped them to contact the teams for play in the FIFI Wild Cup in 2006. All the initiatives to boost the non-FIFA scene are excellent, but only if they are serious and competent."

The implication is clear: the IFU board are, in Kit's opinion, damaging the non-FIFA game with unprofessionalism.

In a separate interview with Goal.com, the general secretary of the IFU, Nelson do Nascimento, stated that, while his organisation differed greatly from the NF-Board, it was not created solely as a result of protest.

"We are the IFU and the NF-Board is the NF-Board, we didn’t create the IFU in response to the NF-Board. We both have our own ideas and objectives concerning the non-FIFA football world. We have different ideas about what the best things are, and with such different ideals we cannot be on the same path," he said.

"The main difference is the potential member football associations. We try to be very strict and serious when it comes to allowing FAs on our potential member list. When you look at the list of NF-Board member FAs, there are just so many names that we disagree with. It seems that the NF-Board simply want to give everyone a chance, but we think that there has to be a line drawn at a certain point.

"Another huge difference between us and the NF-Board is that we don't want to work with football associations that were created with the only purpose being to join us. It's really easy to register an association and say that you are representing an area, but are you really representing them? We don't necessarily think so. That's why we only accept to work with official FAs or with associations recognised by the FA responsible for the football in that area. We also are definitely politically neutral. In our criteria a political party would never be involved."

Nonetheless, the IFU's approach has drawn criticism from some. In a recent press release, it was pointed out by NF-Board loyalists that the IFU had approached Monaco for membership while not knowing that the Monegasque team was in fact run by an NF-Board leader. Talk about Machiavellian politics!

Common Ground

Conflict is put aside for one area of agreement. All concur that everyone should have a chance to represent their community.

"The main thing is to play. We speak only about sport and never about politics. When the representative team of Tibet plays, the cartography of Asia doesn't change! The Tibetans have the right to play, and Chinese too. Sports must make friendships," said Kit.

"The NFB is open for the different cultures, strictly prohibiting politics and religion," he added, hinting that more members were on the way to join the 31 currently in the organisation, although he could not share which ones due to confidentiality reasons.

Do Nascimento said, "Every young kid wants to see their team in an international match. Every young kid that plays in the youth representative team wants to feel the confidence that in the future their team will be active and playing regularly, so this way they can also play in the future. The non-FIFA football is important for the development of the football in these areas, not covered by FIFA, because it will motivate the young people, both male and female.

"Maybe one day the youth will be motivated to represent their own teams or to follow the teams as a fan. Every young kid wants to see their team in an international match. Every young kid that plays in the youth representative team wants to feel the confidence that in the future their team will be active and playing regularly, so this way they can also play in the future.

"For example, our FA Member, Greenland is a part of Denmark, they are not FIFA, Faroe Islands are a part of Denmark, with the same status as Greenland and they are a part of FIFA, why can't Greenland play football regularly too? That's why non-FIFA is important."

Important, indeed. But with so many organisations, splinter groups, and so much controversy, the future of non-FIFA football is unclear.

Nonetheless, the NF-Board in particular are confident of greater successes to come, starting with next year's VIVA World Cup in Gozo.

Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com

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