FIFA

FIFA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Homeless World Cup Foundation! 🤝 The Homeless World Cup Foundation organises annual women's and men's tournaments to support and inspire homeless people to change their own lives. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, the event will be broadcast on FIFA+, while FIFA will also supply material and equipment including medals and trophies. The next edition of the Homeless World Cup will take place in Seoul, Korea Republic, from 21 to 28 September 2024. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “I am delighted that FIFA will be supporting this wonderful tournament and to be partnering with the Homeless World Cup Foundation. “The Homeless World Cup is a perfect example of how football can bring people together to challenge existing social perceptions and improve people’s lives. FIFA is excited to contribute, because we share the view of the Homeless World Cup Foundation that football is a force for good, and starting from the upcoming edition in Seoul, FIFA will contribute in ensuring that this tournament continues to make a real impact that supports homeless people all across the world.” Homeless World Cup President Mel Young said: “We are delighted to sign a partnership agreement today with FIFA which will greatly enhance the delivery of the Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup. The purpose of the Homeless World Cup is to use football as a way of ending homelessness and 1.2 million people have benefited from the initiative since it was born in 2003. Sport has real power, and we have proved that it can be a force for good.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/epePsnQ5

I am delighted to share that today, with 50 days to go until the next edition of the Homeless World Cup, FIFA and the Homeless World Cup Foundation have signed an agreement to partner in organising annual women’s and men’s tournaments. I have no doubt that these tournaments will continue to change so many lives and alter the way people in the world perceive and see those who are homeless. At FIFA we share the view of the Homeless World Cup Foundation that football is a force for good, and starting from the upcoming edition in Seoul, FIFA will contribute in ensuring that this tournament continues to make a real impact that supports homeless people all across the world. I want to wholeheartedly thank Homeless World Cup President Mel Young, who started this initiative more than 20 years ago, for all of the hard work he has done to this point. Many of the participants in Homeless World Cups in the past, now and in the future, managed to change their lives, to find a home, to find a job, to be part of something bigger. If we can contribute to changing just one life of one person, through the magic of football, we will have already achieved our objective.

We always say that football unites the world, and the FIFA World Cup has always brought people and cultures together. At a special ceremony at our FIFA office in Paris, we took a fundamental step in the bidding processes for its 2030 and 2034 editions, a step that showed there is nothing else like a FIFA World Cup. I was pleased to receive the bid books from the seven FIFA Member Associations from four confederations bidding to host the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup. These books I received represent a historic agreement, as we look to who will stage these celebrations of unity and of football in 2030 and 2034. The seven bidding countries have already given a lot to football. These are countries with great passion for the game, great organisational skills, and a shared vision of what football and its values should be.

FIFA has issued new guidelines to all teams at the Olympic Football Tournaments Paris 2024, stating that only captains will be permitted to approach referees in certain situations.   Going forward this is also to be encouraged by FIFA in all competitions around the world, from the elite level of football down. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “Without referees there is no football. Protecting match officials and ensuring they are treated with respect is fundamental for the future of the game. Implementing measures such as “captain only” is crucial in maintaining the spirit of football and safeguarding those who uphold its laws.”   Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said: “This is an important step based on the overarching idea of further enhancing fairness and respect in football while enabling an open line of dialogue between the referee and the teams. As we have seen in the past, measures that are in defence of football end up being accepted.”    You can read more about the new guidelines here: https://lnkd.in/e5YjjF6b

Analysing the economic impact of the FIFA Women's World Cup™ ! 🔍 FIFA and the World Trade Organization have published a report that analyses the impact of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ on the economy, trade and society, both in the two host countries, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world.  The Goal Economy report reveals that the tournament contributed almost USD 1.9 billion to global gross domestic product, created 38,204 jobs and added USD 932 to household incomes. The report is the latest example of the collaboration between FIFA and the WTO since they signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2022 to explore how best to use football to promote economic inclusion. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ef9wSTab

Aligned with FIFA's strategy and mission to develop the women's game and improve professionalisation, the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ Club Benefits Programme rewards clubs that offer high-performance environments for their female players through football pathways.   FIFA set aside USD 11.3m to reward both the training and releasing clubs for all 736 players at last year's record-breaking FIFA Women's World Cup™.    A total of 1,041 clubs, across all six FIFA confederations and 48 member associations, have been identified as eligible to receive payments and been rewarded for their contributions to the continued growth of the women’s game.    Read more here: https://fifa.fans/4bV6MyQ

How is FIFA working to promote the protection of female players and coaches?   FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players have been adapted to address key elements such as maternity, adoption and family leave benefits, basic rights and options for players who become pregnant, breastfeeding, special registration rules, menstrual health and support for national-team players and their families.   These key changes are part of a concerted effort to strengthen the protection of female players, which has been a key focus of FIFA since 2020. You can find the full overview of FIFA’s regulatory framework for the protection of female players and coaches here: https://lnkd.in/eEZ5VYUF

The 2023-2024 Disciplinary and Ethics Report has been published 🔖 The fifth annual report found that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee received over 1,000 new cases and more than 500 requests, while the Ethics Committee opened 125 investigations. The report is part of FIFA’s continued efforts to promote transparency and full disclosure in relation to these judicial bodies’ operations. It offers comprehensive statistics and various infractions such as violations of football competition regulations, the protection of minors, third-party ownership, match fixing, doping and numerous instances related to the enforcement of decisions issued by the FIFA Football Tribunal or the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The timescale covered in the report runs from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eCSNEiqq

Discussing the next steps for the growth of women's football in Asia 🤝 FIFA, working alongside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Football Association of Indonesia, recently hosted a Women's Football Regional Workshop in Indonesia, bringing together a representative from each member association who is responsible for the growth of the women's game. One of the main topics was the importance of the FIFA Women's Football Strategy — launched in 2018 to help guide member associations to follow suit with their own. FIFA Chief Women's Football Officer Dame Sarai Bareman said: "We're bringing the member associations of Asia together in one place to discuss, to exchange, to share knowledge, to talk about our collective challenges, to highlight some of the success stories, and to really try to work collectively to grow and develop the women’s game here in Asia. "This is a really important region for us. It’s a region that lives and breathes and is crazy about football. And specifically for women’s football, it’s traditionally and historically been one of the strongest regions. And it’s important for us to continue to foster that."

Discussing all things anti-discrimination at the Hamburg Sports Summit 💪🇩🇪 FIFA Senior Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Manager Gerd Dembowski presented on mainstreaming diversity and anti-discrimination at the Hamburg Sports Summit. The presentation outlined FIFA’s operational approach on diversity and anti-discrimination, the Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) and measures in place to support FIFA Member Associations. Among the attendees were UEFA Vice President Laura McAllister, the President of the German Football Association Bernd Neuendorf and the President of the Norwegian Football Association, Lise Klaveness. Since launching ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️, the SMPS has helped to protect players, teams and officials at global FIFA tournaments. Speaking after the event, Gerd Dembowski said: “Getting the time to dive deep and show individuals in the sports industry how anti-discrimination measures at FIFA have strategically and operationally evolved, and share personal reflections on endurance and business resilience is critical to be transparent, to listen and learn from relevant stakeholders.”