This was due to the tolerance shown by FIFA upon the initiative of its secretary-general, Helmut Käser.
In the ELF Cup that took place in Northern Cyprus in 2006, FIFA successfully pressured the Afghanistan national team not to play in the tournament, and FIFA members Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sent their futsal teams instead.
[6] A Turkish Cypriot bid to join FIFA was rejected again in 2004, after the Annan Plan referendums.
In 2014, the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation, after agreement signed between the two, applied to join the Cyprus Football Association, but the talks reached a deadlock because of Turkey's political intervention.
However, the lack of teams and interest, as well as violence in matches resulted in the cancellation of the league by the federation.