During the first electoral FIFA Congress to be held in Africa, Gianni Infantino, promised to decentralize football funding to more countries and women’s football in the next four-year term.
By Ange Iliza, at Kigali
The Congress was held in Kigali on March 16, in a lavishly decorated Kigali Arena, adorned with flags of all the 211 FIFA member states and Rwanda’s iconic “imigongo” patterns. It was the final event of a four-day gathering that brought together 2,000 delegates and football legends from different parts of the world to Kigali, Rwanda.
« We want to be, and we have to be, inclusive »
Gianni Infantino was re-elected as president of FIFA for four more years, after running unopposed at the congress of world football’s ruling body. Among the President’s priorities in the next four years is increasing FIFA funding and developing football in more developing countries.
The President said, upon his re-election, that in 2026, the FIFA World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 nations, which will double the number of African nations who participate in the World Cup. “We move from 32 to 48 teams, and from 64 to 104 matches, but also because this will be the most inclusive World Cup ever, and we want to be, and we have to be, inclusive,” the FIFA President said.
During the Congress, Gianni Infantino also announced FIFA’s commitment to back Arsène Wenger’s Talent Development Scheme – to give every talent a chance – which will see an investment of $200 millions over the next four years. The scheme will benefit several African countries.
Rwanda : to become Africa’s sports hub
FIFA has expanded its “Football for Schools” programs to Rwanda with $50,000 funding that will benefit 4,000 Rwandan schools, equipping them with football infrastructure and equipment in the next four years.
Rwanda eyes becoming Africa’s sports hub.
In the week of March 13, Rwanda hosted a four-day FIFA event but with an eye to advancing Rwanda’s ambition to become Africa’s sports hub. The country reportedly invested $5 million to organize it.
The east African country is banking on growing its tourism by positioning itself as Africa’s sports hub hosting major competitions. Rwanda eyes raising $800 million in sports tourism by next year.
In 2021, Rwanda hosted the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tours for both men and women in July and the Basketball Africa League in May of the same year. It was also the third African country to host the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, attracting nearly 2,000 athletes from 20 countries in January 2021.
Kigali has also won the bid to host the 2025 World Road Cycling Championships, the first time it will be held on the African continent.
« President Kagame said Rwanda has been intentionally investing in football given the role football played in reuniting Rwandans after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi«
Rwanda was chosen to be the first African country to host the FIFA electoral Congress in 2022. President Infantino said Rwanda’s story of recovery after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi that took over a million lives, inspired him to run for the presidency. Gianni Infantino said that he stayed in Rwanda to watch the 2016 African Nations Championship final courtesy of a ticket, provided by Kagame and witnessed how this country flourished. On the eve of the Congress, Gianni Infantino and Rwandan President Paul Kagame unveiled the second stadium in the world to be named after the late Brazilian football legend Pele.
The Kigali Pele Stadium, previously Nyamirambo stadium, was renovated with FIFA’s $350,000 funding. The other stadium named after Pele is in Cape Verde. President Kagame said Rwanda has been intentionally investing in football given the role football played in reuniting Rwandans after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
“Even after the tragedy, some of these young Rwandans wanted to play football. When we took over, among the many things we wanted to invest in was football and we enabled our young people to play it,” Kagame said last week during his acceptance speech when he was awarded CAF’s President Outstanding Achievement award that he and King Mohammed IV of Morocco received for advancing football in Africa.
Rwanda’s current investment in sports infrastructure includes the ongoing renovations worth $145,000 in 2021 to upgrade Amahoro stadium, increasing its seating capacity from 25,000 to 45,000. The revamping is set to be completed next year.
President Kagame recently hinted at renewing the advertisement deal with Arsenal and Paris Saint Germain European Football clubs in coming years. The partnership in the Visit Rwanda campaign generated $445 million in tourism revenues, with over one million visitors in 2022, according to government figures.
