Football family gathers to grow together
Nearly 200 member associations were represented at the FIFA Football Conference
On the agenda: an analysis of the prevalent tactics and trends at Russia 2018
Some of the coaches in attendance gave their opinion on the event and its findings
The FIFA Football Conference in London, where coaches and technical directors from close to 200 member associations gathered to identify the most important emerging football trends from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, came to a successful conclusion on Sunday.
At the end of the event, some of the participants shared their thoughts and experiences and stressed the importance of holding gatherings of this nature, which bring together the football family and leave room for reflective analysis.
Luis Enrique, Spain coach
“It’s a very good, positive thing, being able to support and share ideas, hear other points of view and analyse everything from a global perspective. I’ve found it very interesting.”
Didier Deschamps, France coach
“It’s very important to hold events like this. It gives us access to analysis carried out by highly experienced coaches and figures, which will undoubtedly be of great use to us. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to spend a bit of time with other coaches, because, normally, when we see each other for a match, we don’t have much time, whereas at an event like this one we can relate to each other better.”
Roberto Martinez, Belgium coach
“It’s essential for the football community to be able to bring together all these great people in the same room and talk about various aspects of the game.”
Gareth Southgate, England coach
“It was brilliant to be here and listen to the presenters on stage, like Didier Deschamps and Carlos Parreira, who have both managed to win a World Cup, but also just to chat and mix informally with other coaches, something that definitely helps us to better understand the game.”
Juan Antonio Pizzi, Saudi Arabia coach
“It’s been a very important event for us. We received a lot of information and statistics about the most recent World Cup, as well as benefiting from the knowledge and experience of some of the coaches on stage. It has helped us to enhance our knowledge and to improve.”
Carlos Queiroz, Iran coach
“I think that having the football family gather like this will help us to grow together. The true spirit of the game is that we don’t play against each other, but that we play together. The great challenge now is to ensure that we grow together without leaving anyone behind.”