The future of South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF) is up in the air after all seven South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) teams pulled out of it.
Back in August, SAFF and the West Asian Football Federation joined hands to form the SWAFF. The newly-formed organisation was to be filled by fourteen nations and would be recognized by the Asian Football Confederation as its fifth regional federation.
However, while many expected the SWAFF to be officially recognised, the actual proceedings went in the opposite direction.
After a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, all seven members of the SAFF – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Maldives – decided to leave SWAFF with immediate effect.
The decision to leave the amalgamated Federation has not come to light yet, although it has left many confused.
The first General Assembly of SWAFF was held in August 2018 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There were 14 founding members present on the occasion: Bahrain Football Association, Bangladesh Football Federation, Bhutan Football Federation, All India Football Federation, Football Association of Maldives, All Nepal Football Association, Pakistan Football Association, Iraqi Football Association, Kuwait Football Association, Oman Football Association, Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Football Federation of Sri Lanka, UAE Football Association, Yemen Football Association.
The withdrawal precedes the expected official recognition of AFC’s five Regional Federations by the AFC Congress on Wednesday, 31 October 2018.
