Riyadh: The F©d©ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has extended its congratulations to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) on the successful completion of the Saudi Football History Documentation Project. This initiative is hailed as a significant step in celebrating the Kingdom's rich football legacy.
According to Saudi Press Agency, FIFA's official website featured an extensive report detailing the project, which is considered a landmark collaborative effort between SAFF and the FIFA Museum. The FIFA Museum played a crucial advisory role as part of an International Experts Panel, providing historical information from FIFA archives and offering benchmarks from similar projects by other FIFA Member Associations.
The report underscored the comprehensive efforts involved in the Saudi Football History Documentation Project. It required the review of over 500,000 press articles, more than 800 documents and interviews, alongside numerous books and references. Through this meticulous process, the project identified 1,141 national team matches, over 3,900 club competitions, and documented the participation of Saudi match officials in more than 3,300 international games.
FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafstr¶m extended his congratulations to SAFF for completing this significant historic project. He praised the establishment of a transparent, scientific methodology overseen by the SAFF General Assembly. Grafstr¶m emphasized the project's success in cataloging over 120 years of Saudi football history and establishing records that will preserve the Kingdom's football heritage for future generations.