On 12 September 2005, the Comoros Islands became the 206th association to enter the cosmopolitan ranks of FIFA members. Football enjoys a privileged status in society in this small country with a population equivalent to that of a small town."Football is the dominant sport on the Comoros islands," explains Salim Tourki, who has been the president of the country's football association since 1997. "Our admission to FIFA will be a big event back home, because if the quality of football is not improving, it is only due to a lack of infrastructure. Our athletes are remarkable but, without facilities, how can they express themselves?" The Comoros Islands have three leagues with relegation and promotion between them. The top league is subdivided into three on a geographical basis. There is one league of 14 teams on the island of Grande Comore, a league of 12 teams on Anjouan and a league of 8 on Mohéli. The winners of these three leagues play off at the end of the season to decide the Comoros' champions. Having been accepted as a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and now FIFA, there is great hope for the future of football on the Comoros Islands. The first objective is to build an international stadium that the nation can be proud of and where top matches can be staged.