Ali Kafashian, vice-president of the Iran Football Federation and one of the candidates from Asia for the prestigious FIFA Council (formerly FIFA Executive Committee) membership, for which the elections will be held on Tuesday, is ready to work hard to bring credibility back to FIFA.
In an email interview with The Hindu, he expressed hope that Qatar would host a wonderful World Cup in 2022 and also congratulated India for accepting the challenge to conduct the Under-17 World Cup next year.
If elected to FIFA’s inner circle, what will be your principal focus?
Whether I am elected to the FIFA Council, or my distinguished Asian colleagues, we should all have the same principal focus. As representatives of the largest continent in the world, we should work hand-in-hand with colleagues from other continents to bring credibility back to FIFA.
Do you think Qatar can make a statement by successfully conducting the 2022 FIFA World Cup? In your view, what should be the objectives of the second-ever FIFA World Cup in Asia and the first-ever in the Middle East?
As a young nation, they are going through changes at an incredible pace. This means along the way they may make a mistake or two. But, they are prepared to face those challenges, listen to constructive criticism and implement positive changes.
The World Cup is a golden opportunity for not just Qatar, or the Middle East, but all Muslim nations and population around the world to show what the true face of Islam is.
How important is the hosting of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India?
I cannot stress enough what a huge and brave undertaking my colleagues at the All India Football Federation have accepted.
Next year’s event can reawaken your sense of pride in your rich football history and bring youngsters back to the football fields and even streets to play pick-up football. I have followed the fortunes of your under-16 team in the current AFC championship in Goa. They have showed good progress since I last saw them in Iran during the preliminaries.
What is the cornerstone of your ideas for the development of the game in Asia?
First and foremost, we need to get our children onto the streets again and let them have fun playing football. We will then need to set up scouting centres in conjunction with professional clubs to identify raw talent. Beyond that, we will have to formulate a development programme for these youngsters to train and compete at official competitions.
