FSGC: President Tura at the FIFA Congress in Doha

Last Thursday in Doha, the 72nd FIFA Ordinary Congress was held. For the first in‑person edition in the last three years, President Tura represented the San Marino Football Federation at this key event, which saw 210 of the 211 members take part, either in person or remotely. The main topics addressed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in his speech were global conflicts, human rights and FIFA’s capacity to unite people through the power of football. “We stand for inclusion, democracy and giving a voice to those who are never heard; to the silent majority,” Infantino commented. “We live in an aggressive and divided world, but I strongly believe in the power of football to bring people together and overcome cultural barriers. Nelson Mandela said that sport has the power to change the world; football is the most played sport on the planet. We are not so naïve as to believe that football can solve all the world’s problems,” Infantino continued, “but once this and other terrible conflicts are over – and we hope this will happen very soon – football can play a small role in rebuilding relationships and in establishing peace and mutual understanding. We will be at the forefront of this,” he assured. “My appeal to anyone who has a say in this: I beg you, stop wars and conflicts. Do it for our children, for our future. Open yourselves to dialogue, even with your worst enemy. Football will be there and will help us work together for peace.” Turning to the Future of Football project, Infantino reiterated FIFA’s commitment to developing the game, laying the foundations for greater competitiveness on a global scale and firmly confirming the intention to eliminate all forms of discrimination from the world of football. The positive impact and legacy that the World Cup will bring to Qatar, the first Arab country to host the world’s most followed international football tournament, were also discussed. On this topic, contributions were made by H.E. Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani (Prime Minister of Qatar) and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Director-General of the WHO). Within the framework of the FIFA Annual Report 2021, Congress approved the 2021 financial statements and the related financial report, as well as an amendment to Article 9 of the FIFA Statutes. FIFA’s contribution to the global growth of football can also be seen in its financial solidity: “I am proud of the work we are doing together, FIFA and its members. Our finances,” Infantino noted, “are excellent and of course, when member associations wish to develop, they need resources. Despite the pandemic period, not only did FIFA avoid any losses, not only did FIFA exceed the target of 6.4 billion US dollars in revenues for 2022” (revenues of 7 billion US dollars are forecast by the end of the calendar year, ed.), “but it is also in a position to invest in football. And if we can do this, it is because FIFA’s governance,” underlined the head of world football, “is now sound, credible and worthy of trust. This has also been recognised by the United States Department of Justice, which returned to FIFA the 201 million US dollars that had been seized in relation to corruption by officials and representatives of the organisation. This is because they believe in the new FIFA.” Even more resources are on the way for member associations: “The new FIFA FORWARD (3.0) programme will ensure a 25% increase. This means that each member association will receive around 8 million US dollars over a four‑year cycle. Compared with 2016, when I took up the FIFA Presidency, this represents a seven‑fold increase. A substantial growth that will channel funding where it needs to go, namely into solidarity projects for the development of football. This total amount of 2.2 billion US dollars will go to support the development projects of each individual member association.” On the eve of the Qatar 2022 World Cup final draw, President Infantino concluded his address by announcing his intention to stand again in the 2023 presidential elections.

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