Central Asian Football Association
The Central Asian Football Association (CAFA)[1] is an association of the football playing nations in Central Asia.
 | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | CAFA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 9 January 2015 |
| Type | Sports organization |
| Headquarters | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
Membership | 6 member associations |
President |  Rustami Emomali |
Vice President | Khurshed Mirzo |
In June 2014, the association was in principle approved by the Asian Football Confederation and approved at the Extraordinary Congress in January 2015 during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.[2][3] As a result, CAFA will in the future be able to have member(s) on the AFC executive committee.
The formation of CAFA was spearheaded by the Iranian Football Federation following disputes with West Asian Football Federation members. It was reported that AFC President Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa gained politically from the creation of the new zone.[4]
Contents
HistoryEdit
Members of the six nations met with AFC president Sheikh Salman on 10 May 2014 to talk about the possibility of creating a new Asian football zone. The delegations were invited by the AFC president following an initiative by Iran and Afghanistan.[5] At the extraordinary AFC congress on 9 June 2014 in São Paulo, the plan of the new zone was ratified by the congress.[6][7]
Member associationsEdit
CAFA consists of six member associations. All of them are members of the Asian Football Confederation.
| Code | Association | National Football teams | National Futsal teams | National Beach Soccer teams |
Founded | FIFA affiliation |
AFC affiliation |
CAFA affiliation |
IOC member |
Former federation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFG |  Afghanistan |
Men's | Men's | 1933 | 1948 | 1954 | 2015 | Yes | SAFF (2005–2014) | |
| IRN |  Iran |
Men's · Men's U-20 · Women's | Men's | 1920 | 1948 | 1954 | 2015 | Yes | WAFF (2001–2014) | |
| KGZ |  Kyrgyzstan |
Men's | – | 1946 | 1994 | 1994 | 2015 | Yes | ||
| TJK | Tajikistan |
Men's | – | 1936 | 1994 | 1994 | 2015 | Yes | ||
| TKM |  Turkmenistan |
Men's | – | 1992 | 1994 | 1994 | 2015 | Yes | ||
| UZB |  Uzbekistan |
Men's · Women's | Men's | 1946 | 1994 | 1994 | 2015 | Yes |
| Association | National Football Leagues | National Football Cups | Super Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan
|
Afghan Premier League | – | – |
| Iran
|
Persian Gulf Pro League Kowsar Women Football league |
Hazfi Cup | Iranian Super Cup |
| Kyrgyzstan
|
Kyrgyzstan Top League Kyrgyzstan Women's Championship |
Kyrgyzstan Cup | Kyrgyzstan Super Cup |
| Tajikistan
|
Tajikistan Higher League | Tajikistan Cup | Tajikistan Super Cup |
| Turkmenistan
|
Turkmenistan Higher League | Turkmenistan Cup | Turkmenistan Super Cup |
| Uzbekistan
|
Uzbekistan Super League Uzbek women's football championship |
Uzbekistan Cup | Uzbekistan Super Cup |
RankingEdit
Men's National TeamsEditRankings are calculated by FIFA.
|
Leading Men's team: 
|
Women's National TeamsEdit
|
Leading Women's team: 
|
Executive committeeEdit
| Position | Name | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| President | Umid Ahmadjonov
|
2018 – present |
| Vice-president | Khurshed Mirzo
|
2018 – present |
| General Secretary | Sanjar Rizayev
|
2018 – present |
| Vice-General Secretary | Sayed Ali Reza Aghazada
|
2015 – present |
| AFC Vice-president | Ali Kafashian
|
2015 – present |
| Female General Secretary | Zohra Mehri
|
2015 – present |
PresidentsEdit
| President | Years |
|---|---|
| Mirabror Usmanov
|
2015 – 2018 |
| Umid Ahmadjonov
|
2018 – 2019 |
Vice-PresidentsEdit
| Vice-President | Years |
|---|---|
| Rustam Emomali
|
2015 – 2018 |
| Khurshed Mirzo
|
2018 – present |
General SecretariesEdit
| Vice-President | Years |
|---|---|
| Avazbek Maksumov
|
2015 – 2017 |
| Sanjar Rizayev
|
2018 – present |
CAFA championshipsEdit
CAFA runs several competitions which cover men's, women's, youth and futsal.[10][11]
| Competition | Holders | Last Event |
|---|---|---|
| CAFA Men's Championship | n/a | |
| CAFA Women's Championship | Uzbekistan |
2018 |
| CAFA U-19 Men's Championship | Uzbekistan |
2016 |
| CAFA U-19 Women's Championship | Uzbekistan |
2016 |
| CAFA U-16 Boys Championship | Uzbekistan |
2018 |
| CAFA U-15 Boys Championship | Iran |
2018 |
| CAFA U-16 Girls Championship | Uzbekistan |
2017 |
| CAFA Futsal Championship | n/a | n/a |
| CAFA U-19 Futsal Championship | n/a | 2018 |
See alsoEdit
- Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
- ASEAN Football Federation (AFF)
- East Asian Football Federation (EAFF)
- South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)
- West Asian Football Federation (WAFF)
- ECO Cup
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "اتحادیه فوتبال آسیای مرکزی ایجاد شد" (in Persian). BBC. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "'Central Zone' gets thumbs up from Tajikistan". The AFC. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "AFC adds a fifth zone as Extraordinary Congress approves amendments to AFC Statutes". The AFC. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Warshaw, Andrew (10 June 2014). "Shaikh Salman flexes his political muscle to brush aside Prince Ali". InsideWorldFootball.com. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "Central Asians meet Sheikh Salman to create CAFA". aff.org.af. 17 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ "Sheikh Salman Wins Bitter Battle to End Prince Ali's FIFA Vice-Presidency" (10 June 2014). worldfootballinsider.com. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ "AFC president to resume FIFA Vice Presidency". goal.com. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/afc.html%7Cdate= 4 May 2017
- ^ https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/women/#AFC
- ^ http://the-cafa.com/about-cafa/
- ^ Competitions