5 Reasons to Love Alternative Football

If you are a sports enthusiast, you must have come across the term CONIFA World Cup. What exactly is it and what are its objectives? We will hope to answer some of these questions here and tell you everything that you need to know about CONIFA so that you can stay updated with the latest news from the world of football.

What is CONIFA?

CONIFA stands for the Confederation of Independent Football Associations. It is a global, nonprofit organization for all the teams that are not included in FIFA. It provides a chance for various ethnic groups, sub-national groups, stateless people, and other minorities to showcase their talent.  It was founded in 2013 and held its first world cup in 2014 in Switzerland.

What is the CONIFA World Cup?

The CONIFA World Cup is an international football event which is held every two years. It is organized by CONIFA, an organization that recognizes minorities, diasporas, or displaced people and provides them an outlet to compete at the international level. Since FIFA doesn’t recognize players not affiliated to a nation, CONIFA is the alternative tournament for talented players to achieve professional and personal growth. It is the largest football tournament and a community outside FIFA.

Five Reasons to Love Alternative International Tournaments

1. CONIFA is a not for profit organization with high ethical standards. It believes in showcasing and encouraging one’s talent regardless of one national or ethnic background. It runs on funding and sponsorship.
2. It allows players from sportingly isolated countries to compete at an international level.
3. It includes stateless people, ethnic minorities, sub-national groups, diasporic groups, and people from de-facto regions that are ineligible to participate in the FIFA football world cup.
4. It promotes friendly global relations and bridges the gap between nations and isolated minorities and ethnic groups.
5. It is committed to positive values such as equal opportunities, inclusivity, and the elimination of racism.

Reasons To Promote and Support Alternative Football Tournaments and Communities

The founding members of the CONIFA World Cup believe in recognizing talent and putting various players on the map without bringing divisive politics into the scene. It aims to unite people through their love for football and pure talent. It seeks to represent talented football players from all walks of life. The players have the chance to designate themselves as ambassadors of whatever community they feel they belong to and are not judged for it.