Audio By Carbonatix
Football's world governing body has announced plans to raise $1bn dollars to build at least one stadium meeting Fifa standards in each African country.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino was talking in Lubumbashi during the 80th anniversary celebrations of DR Congo side TP Mazembe.
He insisted that Fifa wants African football to shine and will work with the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and other stakeholders to improve refereeing, infrastructure and competitions on the continent.
"We want to bring it (Africa) to the highest of heights and show the world the outstanding talent and amazingly gifted players your continent possesses," he said.
"To do this, we want to implement a three pillar approach: refereeing, infrastructure and competitions, in close cooperation with Caf, all of its 54 member associations across Africa and other stakeholders.
"I am positive that we will make African football reach the top level where it should be because the quality and potential are definitely here."
One of the plans is for Fifa to create a professional and elite group of African referees who will be independent of administration and political bodies
This follows on from the decision taken in the last executive committee meeting of Caf where a decision to implement reforms in the refereeing sector was approved.
On infrastructure, Infantino said Fifa would mobilize companies and entrepreneurs to raise around $1bn with the objective of building at least one stadium that complies with Fifa's standards in each African country.
He said Fifa will focus on developing new and better competitions to generate more revenue so that the African clubs can retain talented players.
Infantino hinted at the possibility of creating an African League that would see the best clubs from the continent play against each other, without giving further details or outlining how the plan might impact the Champions League.
He also talked about plans to organize regional competitions and youth tournaments to further help the development of young players in Africa.
Infantino is touring along with his general-secretary-turned-African-delegate Fatma Samoura, Caf president Ahmad Ahmad and African legend Samuel Eto'o among other people.
He then took part in a commemorative match that featured Eto'o, Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya and TP Mazembe owner Moise Katumbi.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Israeli climate tech company pioneers eco-friendly lime
2 hours -
Pay teacher allowances to improve student performance – Ntim Fordjour urges gov’t
3 hours -
Why Alonso’s chances of survival at Real Madrid are slim
4 hours -
Legal Green Association launches scholarship scheme for law students
4 hours -
Simon Madjie writes: Oti Region: Ghana’s emerging growth frontier
4 hours -
Cedi slips amid seasonal heat; one dollar equals GH¢12.20
4 hours -
Yirenkyi-Addo wins ‘Deloitte CEO Impact Award’
5 hours -
‘I am not weak’ says Slot, but Salah could return
5 hours -
World Bank’s new outcome bond supports clean cooking initiative in Ghana
5 hours -
NACOC nabs 3 in connection with 1,158kg suspected cocaine shipment to Belgium
5 hours -
‘Certiorari is not stay of execution’: Amaliba defends Parliament’s notification on Kpandai vacancy
5 hours -
Sister Sandy set to host Medikal’s BYK Concert at the Accra Sports Stadium
5 hours -
AfroFuture Ghana 2025 adds Rema, KiDi and more to its December festival lineup
6 hours -
Paramount launches rival bid for Warner Bros Discovery
6 hours -
Ukraine’s European allies press for more security guarantees
6 hours
