Fifa president Gianni Infantino (main image), today announced the creation of a new tournament, the Fifa Asean Cup, moments after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help develop football in the Asean region.
However, he did not provide any details on the new competition or explain how it would impact the current Asean Championship Cup, which will be renamed the Asean Hyundai Cup from 2026.
The announcement came shortly after Infantino signed the MoU with Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn, witnessed by Asean Chair and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, together with leaders from other Asean member nations.
The updated MoU extends the agreement first signed in 2019 and now includes Timor-Leste, which became an Asean member earlier today.
Also present were Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) honorary president Tan Sri Hamidin Amin. FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman – who was suspended by the national body on Oct 17 over an alleged document falsification scandal – was also in attendance.
“We are signing this new MoU between Fifa and the 11 Asean countries. Eleven is a magic number as it’s the number of players in a football team,” said Infantino on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
“We have introduced this competition to give football a boost, featuring the best players within the framework of the international match calendar.
“Our goal is for it to have a significant impact within the region and also shine on the global stage. Football unites the world, and together with all 11 Asean countries, we are fostering this unity.”
He promised that the Fifa Asean Cup would be a major success.
“We are looking forward to collaborating based on several core principles,” he said. “The first, of course, is integrity in the game. The second is ensuring a safe and secure environment for matches. The third is education for girls and boys, women and men.”
