Associations representing smallest Euro states create forum

The national football associations of the smallest countries within UEFA have come together to create a forum which is aimed at promoting discussion and sharing of knowledge on matters of mutual interest. The Malta Football Association and the Liechtenstein FA have been the main promoters of this initiative which is taking shape as the inaugural session of this new Forum of the Football Associations of the Small States of Europe (FASSE) took place in Amsterdam on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 44th UEFA Congress. Top officials representing the national football associations of Malta, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Andorra, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Montenegro and San Marino participated in the meeting. “The need to create a forum for the small nations affiliated with UEFA has long been felt,” Bjorn Vassallo, the Malta FA President who attended Wednesday’s session, said. “This forum is made up of 10 countries whose population doesn’t exceed one million but collectively, we represent nearly 10 million people. “Given that we are all small nations facing essentially the same situations, opportunities and also challenges, the idea is that, in this forum, we discuss those circumstances that can help us in our daily work at different levels of football. “These include technical matters, the commerical aspect, governance and many other footballing areas which, most of the time, we don’t have the chance to discuss them together, owing to the fact that the major international events are there for everyone and as such, the agenda of FIFA and UEFA is understandably not limited to the small associations but encompasses all the member associations.” During Wednesday’s meeting, Dr Angelo Chetcuti, the General Secretary of the Malta FA, was appointed secretary of FASSE.