AFC SAFF sign major MoU for Saudi football growth

Jack Huggett07/05/2025 5:55 am05/05/2025

Image Credit: AFC

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) to continue to develop and strengthen the football network in the country.

To sign the MoU, AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John and SAFF General Secretary Ibrahim Alkassim marked the deal at the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah Hotel before the AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025.

The MoU highlighted several programmes designed to enhance the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s football infrastructure, operational procedure and employees before the nation hosts the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

In particular, the MoU seeks to establish a new framework which focuses on education and research via the AFC Academic Centre of Excellence (ACE) to upskill participants’ ability to manage and operate footballing institutions.

AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John outlined the AFC’s dedication to assisting Member Associations.

“The AFC is committed to uplifting its Member Associations and collaborations like this Memorandum of Understanding are one of the various ways that we can foster development of the game,” he said in a press release.

“We look forward to working closely with our friends at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to raise the levels of football excellence even higher, through our highly acclaimed ACE programmes that have already benefitted hundreds of graduates.”

SAFF General Secretary Ibrahim Alkassim highlighted the value of signing the MoU with the AFC.

“The Saudi Arabian Football Federation is proud to partner with the AFC in this important initiative to further enhance the capabilities of our football community,” he said via press release.

“Through the ACE programmes and the spirit of collaboration enshrined in this Memorandum of Understanding, we are confident that our staff, stakeholders, and partners will gain valuable knowledge and expertise to drive Saudi football to even greater heights.

“We look forward to a successful journey together as we prepare to host the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ and beyond.”

In addition to the AFC ACE, the AFC will collaborate with the SAFF Institute of Research to investigate football in Asia and undergo a project to digitise relevant Asian national team and club competition materials.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.