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ShareFIFA has just returned from a voyage to the heart of Africa.
From the Chad desert to the suburbs of Kigali via the Central
African Republic, from the immense Democratic Republic of Congo to
effervescent Burundi, Joseph S. Blatter journeyed between the
African associations and their Goal projects. Conducted at a
whirlwind pace, the FIFA President's trip ended with the
announcement of the launch of a global project, "Goal
Africa". Read on for the full story.
The FIFA delegation visited five countries in five days, cramming in official openings, and laying the first stone for a host of facilities funded by FIFA's Goal Programme. President Blatter made the most of all these opportunities to hammer home his message: "The Goal Programme is helping to increase the number of people, especially youngsters, who play football. This is a very positive development, as football is part of the school of life, teaching discipline and respect. We learn to win there but also to lose, which is much more difficult. By playing, we don't necessarily become great champions but we do become better citizens, better men, and better women. This is all the more important here in Africa, where young people make up such a large part of the population."
| Visited Countries | ||||
| Chad | Central African Republic | Congo DR | Burundi | Rwanda |
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The FIFA President's words were well received by the four heads of state who welcomed him. Only Paul Kagamé was unable to give an audience to Joseph S. Blatter and his delegation, as the President of the Rwandan Republic was abroad during the FIFA delegation's visit to Kigali. He did, however, delegate his Prime Minister, Bernard Makuza.
The doors of the highest
political authorities were opened up for FIFA, which took the
opportunity to plead for harmonious cooperation between the
governments and football associations, and for them to guard
against any temptations towards interference, which is contrary to
the statutes of world football's governing body.
The Great Lakes for peace
The involvement of the political institutions in
football's boom, most notably by constructing stadiums, is, of
course, highly desirable. To Joseph Kabila, President of the
Democratic Republic of Congo, to Domitien Ndayizeye, his Burundian
counterpart, and to Bernard Makuza, Blatter put forward the idea of
a Great Lakes Tournament for peace, a quadrangular event that would
include their Ugandan neighbours and be contested by the national
youth teams. Underpinning this project is the conviction that
football contributes to the stability of the region. The idea was
well received.
Another major theme of the presidential discourse was the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. In five year's time, world football's flagship event will take place on African soil, and whenever he spoke, the FIFA President was keen to communicate his profound joy at this fact.
As soon as the decision to award Africa the FIFA World Cup was made public, "Some, especially in Europe, were seen to grimace. They feared a decline in the revenue generated by the FIFA World Cup. Since then, we have gone over the marketing deals and the audiovisual broadcasting rights. And what have we found? The revenue for our economic partners will be greater in 2010 than in 2006. Football and FIFA have shown their trust in Africa, and the markets have followed suit, as they share this sentiment."
An enthusiastic public
The African public has been quick to respond to this faith
shown in their continent and at every stage, the FIFA delegation
was received in fine style, complete with "honours normally
reserved for a head of state," noted Jérôme Champagne, ever
the French diplomat, in N'Djaména.
It was so in all five countries visited, where the delegation was met by sports ministers, sometimes Prime Ministers, red carpets, jubilant crowds, drumming, songs, folk dances, sparkling costumes and welcome banners. These celebrations showed no signs of waning throughout the FIFA President's visit, before starting over again at the next destination.
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Joseph S. Blatter knows and loves this Africa too. Right from his arrival at FIFA thirty years ago, the setting up of football development programmes across the world was his very first project. He started off, in fact, with the African continent. "To this day, I still regard myself as FIFA's premier development officer," he tells one and all.
Support, not substitution
Since Joseph S. Blatter first dipped his toe in the waters of
football development, the horizon has changed quite considerably.
Elected head of FIFA in 1998, he launched the Goal Programme the
following year, an initiative which has so far benefited more than
170 member associations.
Some of these associations are now on their second project, and in Africa, 49 out of 52 associations have already had at least one project rubber-stamped by the Goal Bureau. In visiting Sub-Saharan Africa, the FIFA President received confirmation of the correctness of his belief: football is on the right development path.
This path is all about facilitating the practice of football,
especially among the young, and helping to narrow the gulf between
nations prone to intense difficulties and the more prosperous
countries. The five states visited are classed among the 20 poorest
- out of a total of 177 in the world - and are even in the bottom
third of the 50 African countries, according to the human
development index of the United Nations Development Programme.
Nevertheless, the FIFA President stressed that the development
should not merely be limited to the realisation of projects funded
by FIFA. "God helps those who help themselves," he
declared. This was a reminder that FIFA's role is one of
support, not substitution.
"The Goal Programme is a real North-South connection. It's concrete and tangible. A big thank-you to FIFA!", chipped in Claude Le Roy, Congo DR's French coach. On the back of the success of this programme, Joseph S. Blatter announced the forthcoming launch of the new "Goal Africa" project within hours of commencing his sub-Saharan stay. The idea is to set up a special initiative within the framework of football development in Africa at the end of the second cycle of Goal projects (2003-2006), and by 2010. The aim is to involve all of the African associations in the greatest sporting event ever organised on their continent: the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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