The eighth meeting of the FIFA Council Meeting which met on Friday in Kigali passed a key resolution which will be pivotal for the development of African football.
Under FIFA Forward 2.0 and following a thorough consultation process, which was completed at the most recent Development Committee meeting in September, the revised FIFA Forward Development Programme Regulations were presented to the FIFA Council.
FIFA’s decision-making body approved the amendments to the document that will regulate Forward 2.0, that is, FIFA’s football development funding for its 211 member associations over the course of the 2019-2022 cycle.
During this period, development funds granted to each member association that complies with the regulations will amount to up to USD 6 million, an increase of USD 1 million compared to the previous cycle.
Speaking during the FIFA Council Meeting post press conference, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “We have increased our development funding to our member associations up to USD 6m over the next cycle.”
“Member associations will in the next cycle which begins in 2019 be receiving USD 1 million per year for operational/running costs of which USD 500,000 is subject to the fulfillment of ten specific activities, including organising men’s, women’s and youth competitions, having active men’s and women’s national teams, running men’s and women’s refereeing programmes, etc.”
“More USD 2 million over the four-year cycle for specific projects based on the contract of agreed objectives has also been approved for each member association, with a strong focus on those related to football infrastructure.”
“However, Accountability for funds allocated as part of the Forward Programme will be further strengthened, with even stricter auditing and reporting measures.”
“For example, each member association or confederation will have to engage the services of a statutory auditor and will be subject to a central audit review undertaken by an independent, high-profile, international auditing company,” added Infantino.
Meanwhile, each of the six confederations will be entitled to a yearly contribution of USD 12 million to support its football activities and projects.
Funding will include a contribution of up to USD 1 million per year for each zonal/regional association, specifically to organise men’s, women’s and youth football tournaments.
Beneficiaries must ensure that the principles of anti-discrimination, diversity, accessibility and inclusion, and human rights for all, are protected and promoted, as well as take measures to protect and safeguard children and minors from potential abuse.
The updated FIFA Forward Development Programme Regulations approved by the FIFA Council in Kigali will be published in their entirety on FIFA.com by the end of October.
In other resolutions passed, the members of FIFA’s strategic and decision-making body discussed a number of pivotal aspects regarding the future of FIFA competitions.
In order to continue and strengthen the consultation process concerning the possibility of establishing an overhauled FIFA Club World Cup, as well as a worldwide Nations League, the FIFA Council agreed to set up a task force.
The task force will operate under the direction of the Bureau of the Council, which consists of the FIFA President and the confederation presidents, and will present its proposals at the next FIFA Council meeting, scheduled to take place in Miami from 14 to 15 March 2019.
The packed agenda for Friday’s gathering included concrete decisions related to FIFA tournaments scheduled for the upcoming years – chief among which was the 100% increase in prize money for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™.
FIFA Council also resolved that La Liga are not allowed to organize a game in Miami. La Liga had put a request to the Spanish FA to have the Girona vs Barcelona fixture on January 27 played at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
FIFA will create a task force to look into the development of women’s football across the world. Infantino reveals that there is progress with the discussions about a possible World Women’s League.
