Following Brazil’s 5-1 defeat of Tunisia in their final warm-up match before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had the opportunity to meet with Brazilian Football Association (CBF) President Ednaldo Rodrigues in the French capital.

“We covered several important issues in all areas of the game worldwide: men’s football, women’s football, youth football, disciplinary procedures, and the fight against racism, which has spread dramatically across the world,” the CBF President said. “It was a very important meeting; we talked about football for groups who feel excluded, to which all associations and confederations will offer their full support.”

Given its history, honours and number of players, Brazil is naturally regarded as one of the football family’s major member associations, and the CBF President stated that he hopes to use Brazil’s valuable experience to promote the development of football around the globe.

“There are a number of actions we can take, such as establishing an organisation that would bring together Portuguese-speaking FAs, which we regard as a great step forward for all those involved, by sharing our expertise in the spheres of management, the training of coaches, and the development of football, futsal and beach soccer,” continued Rodrigues, who was elected to his current role in March 2022, having previously served as vice-president and acting president. He added: “The Brazilian Football Association is very happy to stand by these countries and share experiences as well, especially via courses to be held in Brazil or online, allowing everyone to take part. And FIFA’s role – fully supporting these requirements after the launch of this office – is fundamental.”

Not content to limit himself to Portuguese-speaking member associations, the CBF President gave his full backing to FIFA’s ambition of making football truly global, in accordance with President Infantino’s Vision 2020-2023. “We understand that FIFA is the driving force behind the development of the game worldwide,” he noted. “Member associations and confederations must be totally aligned with FIFA. There has to be institutional respect, which is critical for us to equitably develop football all over the world. We cannot afford to not be totally aligned with FIFA, because otherwise we would grow in a linear way, and football would only develop on one continent. When all is said and done, FIFA must act as the regulator for all situations.”