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NAGORNO KARABAKH BEAT DARFUR UNITED IN THE WORLD CUP FOR COUNTRIES THAT DON'T EXIST
Quartz
June 27 2014
Alive and kickin'
By Annalisa Merelli
The FIFA World Cup may be the biggest sporting event in the world,
but from a geopolitical perspective there's another tournament worth
following: the Confederation of Independent Football Association World
Football Cup, which held its first games at the Jamtkraft Arena,
in Ostersund, Sweden from June 1-8. Established in 2013, ConIFA is
an organization that unites the football teams of nations, counties,
and provinces that would like to be autonomous, but are not officially
recognized.
+
The stadium, which looks less than packed in the tournament's pictures,
can fit about 6,000 spectators--just the size it would need to host
all of ConIFA's Facebook fans. Tickets were sold for a mere EURO 11
($15) (free for under 15)--a paltry sum compared to the thousands
forked over for matches in Brazil.
+
As of now, 20 clubs are members of the association. They pay a yearly
membership fee of EURO 50 ($67) for individual players and EURO 500 for
clubs (individual supporters can join too for EURO 25). Some teams,
like Kurdistan, had previously participated in the Viva World Cup,
another non-FIFA world cup for unrecognized nations that was last
held in 2012.
+
At ConIFA, Europe was the most represented continent, with 13 teams,
while no team hailed from Oceania or South America. North America
has two member teams, Quebec and the northern region of Cascadia
(between US and Canada)--Texas and Vermont don't appear to be terribly
interested in soccer.
+
Out of all the members, the following 12 teams accepted the invitation
to compete for the cup:
+
Aramean Suryoye Ellan Vannin South Ossetia Sapmi Abkhazia County
of Nice Kurdistan Darfur United Padania Tamil Eelam Occitania
Nagorno-Karabakh
These teams represent different geopolitical situations--some have
few resources and a short history of training. The Darfur United team,
for instance, was brought over from a refugee camp. Nagorno Karabakh,
on the other hand, which presented itself as a de facto country, has
its own independent football league. Padania, in northern Italy, looked
only to have the world recognize its history and didn't claim to be
a nation. The players, excited to join an international competition,
included Enoch Balotelli, the brother of Italy's famed striker,
Mario Balotelli.
+
Twenty-eight matches were played in total: See table at
http://qz.com/226232/the-world-cup-for-countries-that-dont-exist/
Quartz
June 27 2014
Alive and kickin'
By Annalisa Merelli
The FIFA World Cup may be the biggest sporting event in the world,
but from a geopolitical perspective there's another tournament worth
following: the Confederation of Independent Football Association World
Football Cup, which held its first games at the Jamtkraft Arena,
in Ostersund, Sweden from June 1-8. Established in 2013, ConIFA is
an organization that unites the football teams of nations, counties,
and provinces that would like to be autonomous, but are not officially
recognized.
+
The stadium, which looks less than packed in the tournament's pictures,
can fit about 6,000 spectators--just the size it would need to host
all of ConIFA's Facebook fans. Tickets were sold for a mere EURO 11
($15) (free for under 15)--a paltry sum compared to the thousands
forked over for matches in Brazil.
+
As of now, 20 clubs are members of the association. They pay a yearly
membership fee of EURO 50 ($67) for individual players and EURO 500 for
clubs (individual supporters can join too for EURO 25). Some teams,
like Kurdistan, had previously participated in the Viva World Cup,
another non-FIFA world cup for unrecognized nations that was last
held in 2012.
+
At ConIFA, Europe was the most represented continent, with 13 teams,
while no team hailed from Oceania or South America. North America
has two member teams, Quebec and the northern region of Cascadia
(between US and Canada)--Texas and Vermont don't appear to be terribly
interested in soccer.
+
Out of all the members, the following 12 teams accepted the invitation
to compete for the cup:
+
Aramean Suryoye Ellan Vannin South Ossetia Sapmi Abkhazia County
of Nice Kurdistan Darfur United Padania Tamil Eelam Occitania
Nagorno-Karabakh
These teams represent different geopolitical situations--some have
few resources and a short history of training. The Darfur United team,
for instance, was brought over from a refugee camp. Nagorno Karabakh,
on the other hand, which presented itself as a de facto country, has
its own independent football league. Padania, in northern Italy, looked
only to have the world recognize its history and didn't claim to be
a nation. The players, excited to join an international competition,
included Enoch Balotelli, the brother of Italy's famed striker,
Mario Balotelli.
+
Twenty-eight matches were played in total: See table at
http://qz.com/226232/the-world-cup-for-countries-that-dont-exist/