TRNC hosts world cup draw

THE TRNC will play host today to the draw for this year’s “alternative” Football World Cup.

The draw will take place at 1pm at the Acapulco resort near Çatalköy, where officials from the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (Conifa) are holding their fifth AGM, which kicked off yesterday.

It will be broadcast on BRT state TV and streamed live on Conifa’s Facebook page.

A total of 16 teams, including North Cyprus, will go into four pots to decide who will play each other in the group stage of the competition, which will be held in London.

The tournament will start on May 31 and finish on June 10 — just four days before Russia play Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the mainstream Fifa World Cup.

North Cyprus, who finished runners-up as the home nation in last year’s Conifa European Championships, are among the second seeds for the draw, alongside Szekely Land, United Koreans/Japan and Ellan Vannin (Isle of Man).

Cyprus Turkish Football Association (KTFF) foreign relations official Orçun Kamalı said: “This is the first time the TRNC is hosting Conifa’s AGM. More than 30 people from countries including the UK, Japan, Italy, Abhkazia and many more are taking part.

“We are very excited [that] the draw for the Conifa World Football Cup [is being held in the TRNC].

“I have also put forward my candidacy for a position on the Conifa committee. All of this is aimed at smashing the embargoes on our young people.”

Those attending the three-day gathering include Conifa president Per-Anders Blind and other officials and members of the organisation, whose European championship was hosted by the TRNC last year.

Conifa was set up as a “global umbrella organisation” for football teams representing nations, minorities, isolated dependencies or cultural regions which are not members of the sport’s official governing body Fifa.