Gianni Infantino Launches FIFA ASEAN Cup, Here's The Hope

JAKARTA - FIFA President Gianni Infantino launched the FIFA ASEAN Cup at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday.

The launch was carried out by Infantino after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between him and ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn, witnessed by ASEAN Chairman, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Anwar Bin Ibrahim Series.

"We are very pleased to continue to show our support to the ASEAN community through the launch of the FIFA ASEAN Cup," Infantino said on the FIFA website.

This tournament will be a great addition to the regional football calendar, having a big impact not only in the region, but also giving the ASEAN's best players the opportunity to shine on the world stage.

"Through the FIFA ASEAN Cup, we unite countries in the region," he continued.

It is still unclear what the FIFA ASEAN Cup format will be or what the future of the AFF Cup will be, which will also bring together Southeast Asian countries.

Infantino promised to involve all football stakeholders, including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), and the association of FIFA members of ASEAN countries.

At the summit, Timor Leste was officially ratified as a member of ASEAN, which was the success of Timor Leste's 14-year struggle to become an organization for Southeast Asian countries.

Timor Leste was already accepted into the big family of Southeast Asian football.

As an independent country, Timor Leste first participated in the Tiger Cup in 2004. Then the SEA Games in 2003, and first sent the football national team to appear in the 2009 SEA Games.