Syria could host international football matches again, as FIFA assessment team heads to Damascus

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will send a joint delegation to Syria to assess whether international friendly matches should be hosted in the country again, the global football governing body said on its site.

Syrian national teams are currently not allowed to host international matches due to the "security situation" in the country, but FIFA said a new security assessment could change that.

FIFA will continue efforts "that would allow its development programmes to be fully implemented in Syria" following a meeting between its president, Gianni Infantino, and the Syrian Football Association (SFA) President Salah Edeen Ramadan in Doha.

It also plans to support the SFA in "developing and renovating the football infrastructure and organising competitions" in Syria.

.@FIFAcom & Gianni Infantino should be ashamed -- and the world must call this out.

FIFA has begun exploring the prospect of hosting matches in #Syria, after 10yrs of prohibition.#Assad continues to bomb civilians daily; conflict continues in every corner of the country. pic.twitter.com/pgBYuJ5jxC

— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) September 12, 2022

FIFA previously sent a delegation to Syria in 2020 to conduct a similar assessment but the ban on hosting international matches remains in place, according to the Syrian opposition website Shaam News Network.

This was the first visit by a FIFA delegation to the war-torn country since 2012.

Sporting institutions associated with the Assad regime have been trying for years to have the FIFA ban on international matches in Syria lifted.

This was imposed in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian uprising and the brutal suppression of protests by the Assad regime.

Syrian teams can currently compete in international matches but only outside Syria.

The Assad regime is currently engaged in sustained efforts to promote sport, culture, and tourism as part of an effort to rehabilitate itself internationally following years of international isolation and sanctions.