(ATR) New FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to remodel world football and change its image of a corrupt organization.
At the second meeting of the FIFA Council, Infantino released his vision for the future of football dubbed ‘FIFA 2.0’. His vision includes a three-part strategy including investing in the game, innovating the player and fan experience as well as taking greater ownership of business operations for showcase events.
"We live in a time that presents us with a wealth of opportunities to make the beautiful game bigger, better and more meaningful to the world," Infantino said. "Our vision – to promote the game, protect its integrity and bring the game to all – will set the path forward for our work."
FIFA laid out a number of goals through FIFA 2.0, such as doubling the number of female players, investing $4 billion in football development over 10 years and increasing the game’s reach to 60 percent of the world’s population.
In order to accomplish these goals, FIFA will provide each national association with $100 million annually to improve football administration across the globe, reinvent its ticketing operations by taking control of the process as well as creating a centralized management structure for each World Cup as opposed to local organizing committees.
FIFA will also incentivize developing the women’s game with an investment of $315 million for the creation of women’s leagues, youth leagues and a development strategy.
Additionally, FIFA will create 11 regional offices across the globe by 2018 that will be better equipped to respond to the needs of its members and be capable of monitoring the implementation of development programs.
Although Infantino’s FIFA 2.0 describes specific goals and initiatives, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura says the FIFA executives will discuss these ideas with its member associations and listen to input and feedback.
"This is a living document, and we look forward to engaging with the member associations, the confederations, our commercial affiliates and other stakeholders as we continue our work to fulfill our mission," said Samoura. "With the organizational improvements we have made and the reforms we are implementing, FIFA is a stronger institution today than it was a year ago – and it will be even stronger a year from now."
Infantino says FIFA is perfectly positioned to use its wealth of reserves to grow the game and turn the corner in terms of governance and ethics.
"No international sports governing body is better positioned to organize world-class competitions, galvanize supporters globally and deploy resources for maximum impact," said Infantino. "And FIFA is on the right path to building an organisation that will set the standards for others to follow."
The FIFA Council meeting concludes on Oct. 14.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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