Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, has made three pledges to the International Summit on Sports for Sustainable Development in Paris, including over a $2 billion investment for football development over the next two years in FIFA’s 211 member associations. The latest pledge brings overall investments since Infantino’s election in 2016 to $5 billion.
Infantino said this would include “projects like the (FIFA) talent development scheme where we want to build 75 academies in 75 countries worldwide.”
Sustainable football infrastructure globally
Infantino also stated that FIFA pledges to continue to invest in football development and commit to building 1,000 mini-football pitches globally. This will advance sustainable football infrastructure, particularly for people living in disadvantaged inner-city or rural areas. Thus, FIFA would enable access to sport and support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Agence Française de Développement‘s (AFD) summit took place in the French capital on the eve of the opening of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 in the presence of the President of France Emmanuel Macron and the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.
Over 500 participants attended, including heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, athletes and representatives of the sports movement, and stakeholders from sports and development financing.
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Football’s positive impact
During his participation, Infantino said the summit was “a great opportunity to exchange ideas with world leaders on how sport and football, in particular, can make a positive difference”. He added that FIFA is already leveraging football’s global appeal to support education, health, and the youth through a range of initiatives across the world.
During the summit, FIFA’s president also pledged to “continue to unite the world with football and with sport generally, as (IOC President) Thomas Bach and his team are doing – we are all doing in these Olympic Games and in the football tournaments.”
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