KUALA LUMPUR — The world football governing body FIFA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have renewed their partnership to strengthen football development and social initiatives across the region.
The renewed memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on Sunday.
The ceremony was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who currently chairs Asean.
Anwar described the partnership as a reflection of the shared vision between Asean and FIFA to empower the next generation through sport, particularly by expanding opportunities for youth across the region.
“It is Asean’s priority to build a new core of leaders, providing them with exposure and training, and I am exceptionally thankful to FIFA for its encouragement and support,” Anwar said.
He added that the partnership would help bridge social gaps by reaching young people from poorer and rural communities.
“You have the expertise and experience, and sharing these with the young — particularly those from poorer segments of society, urban youth and those in rural and heartland areas — enables them to receive the same encouragement, advantages and support,” he said.
The collaboration between FIFA and Asean began in 2019 with the first five-year MoU signed in Bangkok, focusing on football as a tool for social progress, promoting integrity in sports, and tackling issues such as match manipulation.
The partnership was later extended in 2023 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to include new areas such as gender equality and climate action, including initiatives to develop climate-resilient football infrastructure and environmentally sustainable sports programmes.
Infantino, who met with Anwar a day earlier, also launched a mini-pitch at SK Sri Kelana under the FIFA Arena project — a global initiative to create over 1,000 small-sized playing surfaces for children worldwide.
The renewed MoU, signed during Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship, underscores the bloc’s commitment to harnessing sport as a platform for inclusion, development, and unity among its nearly 700 million citizens. — October 26, 2025