FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter touched down in Papua New Guinea on Thursday 18 January for his first official visit to the picturesque nation situated to the north of Australia. Upon his arrival in the capital, Port Moresby, the FIFA President was welcomed by a local delegation, before being invited to an official government dinner attended by the Prime Minister, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare.

The Minister for Social Development, Dame Carol Kidu, briefed President Blatter on the ways sport in general, and football, are crucial to youth development in Papua New Guinea. In response, the head of world football's governing body reminded the audience that the sport "can play a very significant role as a learning tool".


The following day, President Blatter opened the 19th Congress of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and congratulated Reynald Temarii on his re-election as head of the regional governing body. He emphasised how this part of the world stands "a great chance of making progress on the international stage", especially following Australia's departure, and spoke convincingly of "football's social responsibility".

First artificial pitches
Thanks to its reliance on the qualities of discipline and respect, football can help youngsters in this corner of the globe gain access to training, and that is of great value in a region where many are deprived of schooling. The social relations generated between sports teachers and young people are absolutely crucial, as the latter often lack education and live in extremely unstable conditions. Furthermore, football also enables women to find a role for themselves in a traditional society in the throes of evolution. Through the beautiful game, they can assert themselves and climb the ladder.

To see how those sentiments have been put into practice, President Blatter joined Temarii and Dame Carol Kidu on a visit to the artificial pitches financed by FIFA. Awaiting the delegation were children from the Kila Kila school, who greeted Blatter with local dances and traditional songs as a way of expressing their gratitude for the pitches, the first of their kind in this part of the world.

Next on the agenda was a trip to Koki, a youth development centre, where football is used to train youngsters and teach them a range of values to help them integrate into society. Finally, President Blatter's busy day ended at one of the region's hospitals, where teachers and medical workers underlined the importance of sport in motivating young people and informing them about a number of issues - not least the prevention of AIDS, a disease that pose a considerable threat to the region. At the conclusion of his whirlwind tour, President Blatter then took a moment to spread a message of hope: "It is our duty to work to promote life and contribute to a better world through football, whenever that is possible."