BEVERLY HILLS, February 12, (THEWILL) – The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Félix Tshisekedi and the President of FIFA Gianni Infantino have held a videoconference to reflect upon the partnership between their two organisations towards the total development and promotion of their goals for football on the continent.
Two years after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between both organisations, Tshisekedi and Infantino also advanced an action plan aimed at accelerating several aspects of the agreement especially aimed at contributing to the benefit of the African society and, in particular, its younger generation.
About their discussions, Infantino said: “I was delighted to speak with AU Chairperson who is a passionate football fan, and as FIFA and the AU have been working together for some time now, I am sure that under Félix Tshisekedi’s leadership our organisations will find ways to reinforce our joint efforts in many areas such as our ‘Football for Schools’ education project, the fight against match manipulation and any form of corruption, as well as safety and security at football matches across the continent.”
On his part, Tshisekedi, who is also the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, noted: “We are encouraged by FIFA’s willingness to engage with Africa, and to use football as a force for good across the continent, and by working as close partners with the AU to ensure that we are playing our part in the continued development of the sport across the African continent.”
Their videoconferencing took place before the final game of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Using the opportunity, the two leaders discussed a range of initiatives from the role that football through education can play in developing life skills for children, be that respecting rules and showing respect to match officials, or by encouraging teamwork and cooperation in order to succeed.
Part of the outcomes of their discussion was an agreement that both AU and FIFA shared a mutual vision for education through football, and were enthusiastic about holding further discussions to identify opportunities for face-to-face meetings between both leaders in Kinshasa in the near future where creative means to broaden the actualisation of this mutual interest can be advanced.
During the call, Infantino followed up on previous discussions FIFA had with Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa and predecessor of Tshisekedi’s. He used the chance to assure the new AU Chairperson that FIFA and football remained totally committed to maintaining the close cooperation and teamwork built up between both organisations, especially in the past two years of the MOU.
In keeping with the times, Infantino also outlined the FIFA COVID-19 Relief Plan for the continent, while also stressing the important investment made to support the 54 African member associations through “FIFA Forward,” which has already delivered close to 300 projects in Africa since the 2016 election of Gianni Infantino as FIFA President.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
