Prince Ali bin Al Hussein The destiny of both Africa and of football have long been intertwined. The African continent is home to over a quarter of the world’s footballing nations and football is a part of the very fabric of African society. Nobody in the world can deny that the success of African football has spread far beyond the shores of the continent. African players have impacted the European and international game with footballers such as George Weah and Tony Yeboah and, more recently, Didier Drogba, the Toure brothers and Samuel Eto’o, playing for leading European teams with a style of play cultivated on African soil. However, unfortunately, like everywhere in the football world, Africa has not always been well served by FIFA which has at times ignored its football prowess and at other times hasn’t made decisions that have benefited Africa’s national associations. I am running for president because I want to deliver the positive change to the Football Associations of Africa and around the world that they deserve, and I am totally committed to delivering meaningful change in FIFA hand in hand with the national associations. I am a National Association President from a developing country that, like many throughout Africa, is full of passion but resource-poor and faces many challenges. Like much of Africa, the young people in my country look to a future in football to make their own lives better. Football offers that. This change begins with a FIFA Development Programme which is transparent, fair, generous and flexible – and which delivers tailored support where it is most needed. This includes moves such as raising the Financial Assistance Programme from $250,000 to $1m a year, the introduction of FIFA regional development offices staffed by FIFA-employed professionals, working closely with the appropriate Confederation, who can travel to National Associations to assess their development needs, assist with funding applications and support in the delivery of development projects and simplifying the development fund application process. There needs to be more investment in the game in Africa. Football exists in many different forms and there are other growth areas for the game, such as Futsal and beach football. These need to be better promoted and supported with a strategic plan. We need to put more funds towards coaching so that qualified coaches and experienced coaches can go to developing football nations, such as Africa, to assist them as well as gain valuable new skills and experience; building a scholarship programme could be one way to do this. For the professional game we need to invest in ensuring that each Member Association has a National Stadium worthy of that title; this will include basic infrastructure and equipment. Turning to the World Cup. Many African nations have added an extra dimension to the tournament that could not be found several decades ago. Without doubt, African teams are preparing to break new ground at the FIFA World Cup and to reach – and ultimately triumph in – the final. We have also seen outstanding performances of African Youth players in the Under 17 World Cup Champions. However, to date proposals around World Cup slots and have been designed to appeal to some confederations and some others have been created to court votes. The same can be said about seats on the EXCO. We need to work in the best interests of Africa on these issues and not use them as a bargaining chip. Even simple matters such as the international schedule, which is framed around a European short-haul schedule, should be reorganised to reflect travel times and accessibility from far reaching countries. All of these challenges and more have impacted the growth and development of the game amongst all groups, from youth to pro for both the men’s and women’s games, across the continent. Working together, I believe, we can build a future where Africa’s best players play not only in European teams but also in African teams, where there are better chances for African nations to perform at the international level, and to attract more financial reward. It is time not only to imagine a future in which African football dominates on the world stage; it is time to lay the groundwork for it to happen, and nurture it together. Prince Ali bin Al Hussein is the president of Jordan Football Association and one of the candidates in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections.
