FIFA Awards Afghanistan 'Fair Play Award For 2013'

FIFA has named the Afghanistan Football Federation as the winner of FIFA’s Fair Play Award for 2013. FIFA Fair Play Committee member Tokyo Sexwale said at FIFA’s Ballon d’Or awards ceremony in Zurich on January 13 that the Afghan federation had shown “dedication and hard work to develop football at the grassroots level” and “built the foundations for the game, nurturing a national league in the midst of violence and destruction.” Sexwale said the Afghan federation “against all odds” had “opened up football to a wider audience, including women and families,” and had helped “ease regional tensions” by hosting its first international match against a neighboring country in nearly a decade. The award was presented to Afghan Football Federation President Karim Keramuddin by Jordanian Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, FIFA vice president for Asia.