CAF/AFC sign a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation between Africa and Asia

The CAF and the AFC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which aims to "strengthen cooperation between the two confederations and provide a framework for exchanges on competitions and formation", during a ceremony in Kigali (Rwanda), on 15/01/2016.

This protocol, which lasts four years and is renewable, was signed by Issa Hayatou, the CAF president and acting president of FIFA, and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC president and a FIFA presidential candidate. It notably features cooperation in the development of women's football and youth football as well as administration, marketing and innovative technologies.

The CAF and the AFC (which between them include 100 of the 209 member federations affiliated to FIFA; 54 in Africa and 46 in Asia, see below) had already signed a "pact of friendship", including the organisation of a match between the two continental champions and referee exchanges, from the mid 1970s to the late 1990s. "Today we are here to re-launch a cooperation that will be beneficial to the two confederations after several months of work. This is an…