The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) takes great pleasure in announcing details of the 2021 No Limits Mediterranean Futsal Cup, organised in partnership with CALCI: Comunità Resilienti. 

The six-team tournament, sponsored and supported by Schiermacher Outfitters and Precision as well as the Government of the Principality of Seborga, will take place in Sanremo, Italy on Saturday, September 11. 

The tournament forms part of a socio-cultural exhibition that CALCI: Comunità Resilienti will hold in the area between September 9-12 in which the stories and shirts of teams from around the world will be exhibited, including that of those participating in the competition.

Teams – four from within CONIFA and, by special invitation, two from outside – have been divided into two groups of three in what will be the first futsal tournament for senior national teams in the alternative world to FIFA and the Fútbol Sala. 

• Group A: Sicily FA, County of Nice, Principality of Seborga 
• Group B: Sardinia FA, Elba Island FA, FC Tera Brigasca Labaj

Group winners will progress into the final with both second place teams going on to compete for third and fourth place respectively. The teams finishing in third will, in turn, play-off for fifth and sixth places.

CONIFA Global Director for No Limit Initiatives, Francesco Zema, said: “As Global Director for No Limit initiatives, I am proud and at the same time happy to be part of such an historical moment in which CONIFA opens its doors to new football and cultural formats. 

“This tournament is a small but very important response to the pandemic and a sign of closeness and direct support to our federations and those that share with us the desire to build more inclusive football and bridges between people, territories and cultures.”

CONIFA Global President, Per-Anders Blind, added: “CONIFA is a platform where we are able to create a unique window towards the world. Through this unique platform we can show the world the beauty and greatness of ethnicities, regions, culture, heritage and identity with a mission to contribute to a better world. 

“The No Limits Mediterranean Cup in Sanremo is an important milestone in CONIFA as the first ever organized futsal tournament with a special thanks to CALCI: Comunitá Resilienti, the Principality of Seborga and Schiermacher Outfitters for their invaluable contribution to make this historical moment to come through.

“As Global President, I sincerely wish that the tournament will send a wave of hope and love around the world in these pandemic times. I wish all the teams and management good luck and am really looking forward to following the tournament.” 

The tournament will be live streamed around the world thanks to WeSport, official media partners of the tournament, while extensive coverage will appear via CONIFA’s social media platforms. 

The official tournament logo has been created by graphic designer, videomaker and psychology graduate Fabrizio De Blasi. 

Fabrizio is a social media content creator for companies and freelancers alike. He is also communications and social media manager for Sicily FA.

NOTES: 

• CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, is the football federation for all associations outside FIFA. It’s a global acting non-profit organization that supports representatives of international football teams from nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples and sports isolated territories.

• CONIFA is one of the transnational non-profit organizations to have an area dedicated to inclusion and innovative welfare through sport. No Limits means: football for all abilities; football and educational programs for youth in the 9-16 age group; futsal and cultural programs for ethnic minorities; national identities and original / indigenous communities; football, gender equity, sports education and active citizenship for youth.

• CALCI is a socio-cultural project curated by Francesco Zema. It is a place of meeting, discussion and dialogue that gives voice to the collective memory of the individual populations of the world through stories and symbols of resilience and football.