June 10 – Football governing body Concacaf has rejected Greenland’s application for membership.
At an extraordinary congress before this month’s Gold Cup, Concacaf, which oversees football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, decided to not accept Greenland’s application without providing further detail.
In a statement, the governing body said: “Based on a thorough assessment conducted by the Concacaf administration and Council, and in accordance with the Concacaf Statutes, the Member Associations reviewed the membership application submitted by the Greenlandic Football Association and unanimously rejected it.”
Greenland, the world’s largest island that is not a continent with a population of 57,000, is a sovereign territory of Denmark but geographically belongs to North America. Despite its size, it has never participated in competitive international football.
Greenland cannot join Uefa, as the European football governing body only accepts nations recognised by the United Nations. However, this restriction doesn’t apply to Concacaf.
Although Greenland regularly plays friendly matches outside of Fifa’s jurisdiction, they applied for membership last year. Following Concacaf’s decision, the island nation will continue as a non-Concacaf and a non-Fifa member.
Recently, US President Donald Trump made repeated calls for the US to take control of Greenland, prompting international outrage and thrusting the application into the political arena.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1749615337labto1749615337ofdlr1749615337owedi1749615337sni@i1749615337tnuk.1749615337ardni1749615337mas1749615337