Mauritius Football Association
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2008-05-19T01:30:25Z
Barticus88
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[[Creole]]→[[Creole peoples]] in the holy name of [[WP:DPL|WikiProject Disambiguation]] using [[WP:POP|Popups]]
{{National football association |
Logo = Mauritius FA.gif |
Founded = 1952 |
FIFA affiliation = 1962 |
Region = [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]] |
Region affiliation = 1963 |
President = Dinanathlall Persunnoo |
Coach = [[Rajesh Gunesh]] |
}}
The '''Mauritius Football Association''' (MFA) is the governing body of [[Football_(soccer)|football]] in [[Mauritius]]. It was founded in [[1952]], affiliated to [[FIFA]] in [[1962]] and to [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]] in [[1963]]. The association was formerly known as the Mauritius Sports Association but renamed to Mauritius Football Association in [[1984]] through the introduction of a Sports Act by the government. The founding members of the association were [[FC Dodo]], [[Faucon Flacq SC]] (now renamed Flacq SC), CSC, Hounds, [[Royal College of Curepipe]], and Saint Joseph College, all of which were based out of [[Curepipe]] and, with the exception of [[Faucon Flacq SC|Flacq SC]], have since ceased to exist. The Mauritius Football Association organizes the [[Mauritian League|national football league]] and the [[Mauritius national football team|national team]].
==Problems facing the MFA==
The association has undergone numerous upheavals over the years, its troubles ranging from perpetual financial shortages to constant changes of presidents, and has been under fire from various quarters for failing to stem the decline of [[Football (soccer)|football]] in [[Mauritius]].<ref>[http://www.mauritiusnews.co.uk/FrontPage.asp?PageID=452&SectionID=4 Mauritius News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Although [[Football (soccer)|football]] continues to be the most popular [[sport]] in the country, the majority of domestic league matches attract very few [[spectator]]s (sometimes less than a handful), earning the clubs and the MFA very little income and leaving the players without the motivation to showcase their skills. The focus of the sport's popularity has instead almost completely shifted to the [[English Premier League|English Premier League (EPL)]], which is considered far more exciting due to the high quality of [[Football (soccer)|football]] on display and the presence of numerous world-famous stars. [[Nation]]al and [[International|international]] [[television network]]s beam [[English Premier League|EPL]] matches into the living rooms multiple times every [[week]], adding to the erosion of interest in local [[Football (soccer)|football]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_football/5278046.stm BBC SPORT | Football | World Football | Mauritian football seeks comeback<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The decline in popularity of domestic [[Football (soccer)|football]] is also attributed to the [[Mauritian League|Mauritian Premier League's]] major restructuring prior to the [[2000]]/[[2001]] season.<ref>[http://www.mauritiusnews.co.uk/FrontPage.asp?PageID=452&SectionID=4 Mauritius News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The restructuring was aimed at preventing the recurrence of the violent riots that rocked the country during the final match, the championship decider, of the [[Mauritian League]] season on [[23 May]] [[1999]] between [[Fire Brigade SC|Fire Brigade Sports Club]] (now renamed as [[Pamplemousses SC]]<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mauri01.html Mauritius 2000/01<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>) and [[Scouts Club]] (renamed as [[Port Louis Sporting Club]]<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mauri01.html Mauritius 2000/01<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>). A controversial penalty awarded to [[Fire Brigade SC]], a [[Creole peoples|Creole]] club, ensured their win over the [[Muslim]]-supported [[Scouts Club]], leading to [[riot]]s that lasted for [[3]] days and killed [[7]] people. The events shook the nation and led to the government imposing an [[18]]-[[month]] [[ban]] on all footballing activities in the country, with only the [[Mauritius national football team|national team]] permitted to play during this period.<ref>[http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1520389,00.html On tour with Tottenham in Mauritius | News | Guardian Unlimited Football<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The restructure, which was an effort to de-ethnicize local clubs, required the "regionalization" of clubs, with teams now being formed on the basis of [[region]] instead of [[ethnicity]] or [[religion]]. Although the move achieved the desired results in terms of reduction in violent conflicts, it also removed the traditional [[rivalry]] among fans, resulting in loss of interest and support. In fact, many locals believe that the resurrection of [[Mauritian]] [[Football (soccer)|football]] lies in permitting the formation of clubs on the basis of [[ethnicity]] or [[religion]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_football/5278046.stm BBC SPORT | Football | World Football | Mauritian football seeks comeback<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
* [http://www.mauritiusfootball.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.fifa.com/en/organisation/confederations/associationdetails/0,1483,MRI,00.html?countrycode=MRI Mauritius] at the FIFA website.
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{{International football}}
{{CAF associations}}
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[[Category:Confederation of African Football|Mauritius]]
[[Category:Football in Mauritius]]
{{footy-org-stub}}
{{Mauritius-stub}}
[[ar:اتحاد موريشيوس لكرة القدم]]
[[fr:Fédération de Maurice de football]]
[[it:Federazione calcistica delle Mauritius]]
[[vi:Hiệp hội bóng đá Mauritius]]