The presidents of CAF and FIFA travelled to Côte d’Ivoire on
Monday as part of their first joint mission in Africa since the election of Dr
Patrice Motsepe as the confederation’s new president in March. Central to their
two-day itinerary were meetings with government and football officials, with
the focus on promoting unity and serenity, developing and strengthening the
country’s football governance and launching the continent’s inaugural
pan-African inter-school football championship in Abobo, a municipality just
outside the country’s capital Abidjan.
Arriving in Abidjan they were greeted by members of the
normalisation committee of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), including
President Mariam Dao Gabala, who along with her colleagues has been responsible
for bringing football back into play in Côte d’Ivoire.
An official dinner was hosted for the delegation by Ivorian
Minister for the Promotion of Youth, Professional Integration and Civic
Service, Mamadou Touré, in the presence of Minister for National Education and
Literacy, Marietou Koné. Addressing the gathering CAF President Dr Motsepe
underlined the unifying power of football being more important than differences
between diverse groups of people. He was also keen to highlight CAF’s robust
support for the West African nation stating: “Côte d’Ivoire has CAF’s total
commitment and 2023’s AFCON here will be the best ever."
FIFA President Gianni Infantino bolstered this message
further saying: "We need to work together to make football great and make
the millions of passionate fans in Côte d’Ivoire, a country that has won the
AFCON twice and will soon host it, happy."
Present at the event to provide their support for the joint
CAF/FIFA mission were CAF’s four vice presidents, presidents of the five CAF
zonal unions and presidents from CAF Member Associations in West Africa
Football Zone Union B.
This morning, the CAF and FIFA delegation’s focus was on
viewing the work of the FIF normalisation ccommittee first hand, in order to
understand what had been completed and the challenges it has faced. Addressing
the assembled media outside the FIF building Dr Motsepe congratulated President
Gabala and her team on their outstanding work and strong commitment to bringing
peace and unity back to Ivorian football.
This sentiment was echoed by FIFA President Infantino who
underlined the progress the FIF had made, particularly with the organisation of
an elective congress, which it hopes to hold by the end of the year. "Côte
d’Ivoire has the unwavering support of FIFA," he said.
The joint delegation then travelled to the Ministry of
Sports for a meeting with Minister Claude Paulin Danho. Discussions covered the
country’s hosting of next year’s AFCON competition, and improving football
governance. Speaking to the minister, Infantino expressed FIFA’s commitment and
willingness to work hand in hand with the Ivorian authorities to “reinvigorate
Ivorian football, especially given the outstanding talent it has produced. The
football legends from Côte d’Ivoire have greatly contributed to building
football history in Africa and across the world,” he said.
Ivorian Legends were very much pivotal to talks amongst the
three men, with the CAF president reminiscing with Minister Danho about Siaka
Tiéné, a young Ivorian player who had been one of his favourites due to his
talent and passion, when Dr Motsepe ran South African football club Mamelodi
Sundowns, prior to his election as CAF president.
The delegation were then received by the President of Côte
d’Ivoire, His Excellency Alassane Ouattara, at the Presidential Palace. During
the meeting the joint delegation stressed the outstanding talent in the country
and the need to harness this through the development of youth football and
CAF’s first ever pan-African inter-school football championship.
Following the discussions with the Ivorian Head of State,
Infantino said: “President Ouattara is a great fan of football, so it is an
honour to be here today to talk about how we can work together to support the
youth of this country through the beautiful game. Côte d’Ivoire is a county
with a legacy of talented footballers and many future ones yet to be
discovered, so it is important for Africa and the rest of the footballing world
that FIFA, CAF and the Ivorian authorities work together to develop the game
and elevate it to the highest of heights."
The final engagement of the day for the CAF/FIFA joint
delegation was the launch of the pan-African inter-school football championship
in Abobo. Fittingly, a football match featuring mixed teams of schoolchildren
kicked off the initiative, with both presidents putting their technical and
tactical football skills to the test as team coaches.
Following the match Dr Motsepe announced that the Motsepe
Foundation, founded by himself and his wife Precious Moloi-Motsepe, would make
a donation of USD $10 million to the ground-breaking new pan-African
inter-school football championship, which will take place across the six zonal
regions of CAF. After the match, the FIFA President said: “The gesture from the
Motsepe Foundation, Patrice and his wife Precious, is exceptional. It’s a step
forward for this competition that will give hope and joy to thousands of
children in Côte d’Ivoire and throughout Africa who love football. Thank you to
the Motsepe family for showing us Ubuntu in action."
The joint delegation ended their visit to Côte d’Ivoire with
a press conference focused on the African league, the development of women’s
football, strengthening football governance, this November’s FIFA Arab Cup in
Qatar and how to bridge divisions in Ivorian football. Both the CAF and FIFA
presidents also outlined the plans to roll out the inaugural pan-African
inter-school championship in Côte d’Ivoire to the assembled Ivorian and African
media.
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