Chris Nikou re-elected to the ASEAN Football Federation Council

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Chris Nikou
Image via Football Australia

The Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) Football Federation (AFF) Council has re-elected Football Australia Chair Chris Nikou on a four-year term between 2022 and 2026.

The AFF consists of the national football associations of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The AFF Elections took place during the AFF Ordinary Congress 2022 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with Nikou in attendance.

The AFF Elections held were for the positions of President, four Vice Presidents, five Council Members and one female council member.

Nikou was successfully elected unopposed as a Council Member with a term of four (4) years and was pleased with his election and Australia’s continued efforts to enhance relationships within the ASEAN region.

“I would first like to thank my colleagues across ASEAN for entrusting me with the responsibility that a position on the AFF Council entails,” Nikou said. “Recognising that responsibility, I am committed to working hard to ensure Australia supports the development of this beautiful game across the South East Asian region,” Nikou said in a statement.

“Since being admitted to AFF as a full member in 2013, Australia has only continued to increase its football engagement with the region, and my renewed position on the AFF Council provides an opportunity to continue driving this strong relationship.

“Australia is proud to be a part of ASEAN, and with a combined population of 650 million football-loving people, this region presents tremendous opportunities to grow and develop the game for the benefit of many, and to bring nations together through a common love of football.

“Through the AFF, and together with our fellow AFF Member Associations, Football Australia will continue to work in partnership to ensure AFC’s vision of becoming the world’s leading football confederation is achieved.”

The AFF Ordinary Congress 2022 in Siem Reap closely followed Cambodia’s hosting of the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, which was attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

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Relevent Sports and US Soccer settlement opens up opportunity for European games in the US

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Image credit: Ringo Chiu / Shutterstock.com

After a six-year legal battle, US Soccer and Relevent Sports have reached a settlement in the latter’s antitrust lawsuit which opens the potential for European leagues to play games in the US.

Recently Relevent’s lawyers filed a motion in federal court to dismiss their case against U.S. Soccer with prejudice—which means they won’t be able to bring the same lawsuit or claims against the federation again in the future.

US Soccer expresses relief as a longstanding issue is resolved, allowing the organisation to fully focus on growth and building momentum ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

“We are pleased to put this matter behind us as we remain focused on growing the game and harnessing the momentum of US Soccer ahead of next year’s World Cup,” US Soccer said via statement on ESPN.

The details of the settlement haven’t been made public, bringing an end to the long-running legal battle between the federation and Relevent Sports, the agency co-founded and owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

Relevent had already reached a separate deal with FIFA last year, agreeing to remove soccer’s global governing body from the lawsuit as a co-defendant.

“We appreciate US Soccer’s collaboration in reaching this settlement,” Relevent chief executive Danny Sillman told ESPN via statement.

”Ultimately, we all share the same goal: growing the sport throughout America.

“We’re excited to continue supporting clubs from Europe and around the world to expand the sport’s reach and impact across the US.”

Relevent first revealed plans in 2018 to host a La Liga match between Barcelona and Girona in Miami, as part of its 15-year commercial deal with Spain’s top football league.

FIFA quickly responded by introducing a policy that banned league matches from being played outside the home countries of the participating clubs.

As a result, Barcelona pulled out of the game, there was also disagreement between La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over the idea of playing a league match overseas.

Relevent later tried to bring an Ecuadorian league match to the US, with support from LigaPro Ecuador, but U.S. Soccer denied approval, again citing FIFA’s policy.

In response, Relevent sued both U.S. Soccer and FIFA in 2019, accusing them of working together to block foreign league games in the U.S.

The lawsuit claimed this was done to protect Soccer United Marketing (SUM), Major League Soccer’s (MLS) commercial arm, and prevent competition.

Although the case was initially dismissed in July 2021, that decision was overturned in May 2023, opening the door for a trial.

Relevent eventually reached a settlement with FIFA, which included the creation of a working group to explore possible changes to its rules on international matches.

Just last month, it was confirmed that Relevent had secured the global commercial rights for UEFA’s men’s club competitions over a six-season cycle starting in 2027/28.

This means Relevent will now manage, sell, and market the commercial rights for the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League worldwide.

Additionally to collaborating with La Liga, Relevent also has commercial partnerships with the English Football League (EFL) and the Bundesliga, it’s also responsible for scheduling and promoting pre-season Premier League games in the US.

AFC President lauds ASEAN unity

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AFC ASEAN
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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has celebrated the work of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) in a meeting with the Federation’s key leaders.

Speaking with AFF President Major General Khiev Sameth and AFF General Secretary Winston Lee, Shaikh Salman celebrated the AFF’s success as one of the leading Regional Associations in the AFC, linking the Federation’s strong sense of unity with its ability to effectively achieve shared goals to improve the standard of the game across Asia.

The AFC President also praised the Federation for the triumphant delivery of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup in January, as well as the AFF’s other competitions including the new ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2024/25.

In a press release, President Shaikh Salman detailed the importance of the ASEAN Football Federation.

“As a Regional Association, the ASEAN Football Federation are amongst the pioneers in establishing top level competitions for their Member Associations and the fervent fanbase that has rallied so passionately around these regional platforms is indeed testament to the AFF leadership,” he said.

“Perhaps most encouraging of all is the expansion of these competitions to also include women’s football, age-group tournaments as well as futsal so it is clear that the beautiful game in ASEAN now has the potential to grow more systemically and holistically, further complementing the shared outcomes that we aspire towards as one Asian football family.

“In every way, under the wise leadership of Major General Sameth, the AFF has emerged as a model RA who have continued to serve as a thriving regional hub for its Member Associations to strengthen their capabilities and the AFC remains ready to assist them in realising their bold ambitions.”

The meeting also saw Major General Khiev Sameth thank the AFC President and Confederation for its assistance. In particular, Sameth highlighted the impact of the AFC Enhance program – a project which will double the Confederation’s support for Regional Associations.

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