FIFA launches new development programme

The ‘FIFA Forward Devlopment Programme’ was approved by the FIFA Congress in May 2016 and was launched after a programme committee meeting chaired by Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa on July 13 in Zürich.

The FIFA Forward Development Programme is built on three main principles: more investment, more impact, more oversight. Due to that programme, FIFA member associations and the six confederations can apply for development funds which aim to provide tailor-made support for developing their work. According to FIFA, the financial support for member associations and football development is increased to 5 million USD per four-year cycle for each member association from 1.6 million USD per cycle.

“This is not simply about providing more funds to member associations and confederations, but about providing concrete assistance to the football community via the transparent use of funds, and changing the culture towards a greater impact of FIFA’s development activities that can systematically be measured,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, according to a FIFA press release.

The new programme’s principle of oversight means that the football spending should be “transparent, carefully managed and effective”. The FIFA administration is also planning to monitor the progress of funded tailor-made projects and assure the annual accounts of member associations and confederations are independently audited.