Enab Baladi – Hani Karazi
The announcement of the lifting of US sanctions on Syria has created a sense of optimism among the Syrian public for a better future across various sectors, including sports, which has been significantly affected by these sanctions, especially regarding frozen funds that will contribute to the sector’s development.
The US sanctions imposed on Syria impacted the reality of sports, hindering the renovation of stadiums, the development of clubs and national teams, the rehabilitation of infrastructure, and the hosting of international matches.
Recovery of frozen funds
The frozen funds held by FIFA (the international football federation) are part of a series of Western sanctions imposed on some Syrian institutions during the previous regime.
There are no accurate figures on the size of the frozen funds, but it is estimated that their value with FIFA is around $11.5 million USD, though these figures are unofficial.
Ibrahim Yasin, a member of the advisory committee at the Syrian Football Federation, previously stated to Enab Baladi that the figures regarding the frozen funds are conflicting due to instability and the resignation of the former Syrian federation, but efforts are underway to recover them.
He added that FIFA relies on several clauses, including a project clause valued at $7 million USD and an operational expenses clause worth $250,000 USD, pointing out that the figures are still not precise.
Some allocations of the funds are directed towards building youth categories in all clubs, conducting training sessions to develop sports capabilities, and supporting club facilities with all the requirements for success to uplift Syrian football and sports in general, according to Yasin.
In turn, sports journalist Khaled al-Hamad told Enab Baladi that the frozen funds do not belong to the Ministry of Sports but to the Football Federation, which is an independent entity that the ministry has no right to interfere with or claim its funds.
Abundant benefits
Journalist Khaled al-Hamad mentioned that a bright future awaits Syrian sports following the lifting of sanctions, as the Football Federation can invest the frozen funds in improving the sports reality by allowing the flow of foreign currency funds back to the federation and granting it access to its accounts worth millions of dollars.
The Syrian Football Federation will also be able to work on stadium development, although this responsibility lies with the Ministry of Sports. However, if funds are available in the federation’s treasury, coordination can occur between both parties.
Lifting the sanctions will help attract investments to uplift the sports sector, according to al-Hamad, leading to numerous benefits for Syrian sports:
Lifting the sanctions will allow clubs to sign sponsorship contracts with regional and international companies, providing them with significant financial returns that will improve their financial situations and increase local and continental competitiveness. Signing partnership contracts with specialized institutions to develop sports academies and modernize facilities with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, as well as importing long-awaited modern sports gear, which will help to enhance training levels and improve the athletic performance of athletes. Rehabilitation of stadiums by providing opportunities for countries willing to assist Syria regarding the rehabilitation of sports infrastructure and stadiums. Developing local competitions and increasing the rewards for winning league titles or cups. Bringing in high-level staff for national teams, conducting training camps abroad for Syrian teams, and directly accessing any funds generated from international participations instead of freezing them. Assisting clubs financially to overcome their monetary difficulties. Having the capacity to contract with high-level foreign coaches without concerns regarding their salary payments.A golden opportunity for stadium rehabilitation
Players in Syria have suffered for decades from poor local stadiums due to the previous Syrian regime’s lack of interest in developing them, as they were transformed into military barracks and detention centers, or were deliberately neglected to become pastures for livestock.
The condition of stadiums in the Syrian league and the sports halls has been a subject of debate and mockery on social media in recent years, due to the poor flooring in most cases, while the previous regime attributed the neglect to Western sanctions.
After the fall of the Assad regime, Qatar expressed readiness to renovate five stadiums in Syria. Bilal Dekhan, the investment and facilities official in the Sports and Youth Directorate in Aleppo, indicated that there is a plan to rehabilitate and reconstruct the Aleppo International Stadium and the large hall in Aleppo, in collaboration with sports officials from Qatar.
Dekhan confirmed to Enab Baladi that the Qatari side showed readiness to renovate the stadium, but no official memorandum of understanding has been signed regarding this matter, noting that the Aleppo Directorate of Sports is waiting for the restructuring of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and its affiliated directorates before officially starting to develop sports facilities in Aleppo.
On the other hand, sports journalist Muntasir al-Yusouf stated that the sanctions previously imposed on Syria prevented Qatar or any other countries from transferring funds to Syria. Therefore, the Qatari government sent a notification to FIFA to inform them of the plan it has prepared for renovating stadiums in Syria, along with project details and the required budget. However, with the lifting of the sanctions, there is now a golden opportunity to rehabilitate the stadiums.
Easing the task of lifting the ban on stadiums
Since late 2011, FIFA has imposed a ban on stadiums in Syria, forcing national teams and clubs during the previous Syrian regime to play their matches abroad. Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the Ministry of Sports and Youth began working on lifting this ban.
The ban on Syrian stadiums has affected the chances of Syrian national teams and clubs in continental and international competitions, as they were deprived of playing on their home ground and in front of their fans, forcing Syria under the previous regime to choose countries like Malaysia and the UAE as virtual grounds for their international matches.
Journalist Muntasir al-Yusouf believes that lifting the sanctions can significantly aid in lifting the ban imposed on Syrian stadiums, but it alone is not enough; other factors must also be fulfilled for this to happen alongside the lifting of sanctions.
Al-Yusouf added that lifting the ban on Syrian stadiums also depends on maintaining security, as well as refurbishing stadiums and sports facilities, in addition to developing airports, roads, hotels, and transportation means.
He pointed out that lifting the sanctions will contribute to starting developmental projects for sports facilities, which have suffered from neglect and lack of funding throughout the past years, in cooperation with companies specialized in sports infrastructure, which could sign maintenance contracts for Syrian sports facilities after the lifting of sanctions without any obstacles.
Lifting sanctions untangles the knot in Syrian sports Enab Baladi.
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