Dubai: Fifa President Gianni Infantino wants the game to exhibit the highest level of governance and transparency.
Narrating Fifa’s approach to the game, Infantino enthralled a packed hall at the Madinat Jumeirah and brought the curtains down on the two-day 12th Dubai International Sports Conference that brought together an exceptional group of influential and innovative professionals in all areas of world football. They shared their expertise and experience during the two days.
Infantino, before being honoured by Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the UAE National Olympic Committee, explained in depth Fifa’s approach towards investment. He spoke on how Fifa has invested in its image, investment in fans, on protection of the game, corporate social responsibility and in the future of football.
“There are many stakeholders and points of views and our task and ambition must be to bring together all the different interests in a way that protects football — the game we love,” he said.
Talking about image, Infantino said: “We have to invest in our image. Implement reforms and to ensure the image and reputation of football is managed all over the world.”
Infantino also revealed that football will reach out to more fans than ever before through technology. “The year 2018 will be Fifa’s year of digital revolution as we develop a worldwide digital future to engage and interact with fans. Technology is part of our future, and I am positive that Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be a great introduction to football.”
Elaborating on VAR, Infantino said: “Some said VAR technology will destroy football but immediately after my election I decided to start the test phase. A referee is a human being and can make mistakes. Today, with smart phones, within seconds the fans in the stadium can even know whether the referee has made a mistake. VAR will be a great investment in football so it is not only used in top competitions but also in tournaments all over the world to help the referee.”
Infantino also explained Fifa plans for corporate social responsibility. “The Fifa Foundation has also been established to deal with requests for help and assistance from around the world. We want to bring smile to the children and will also involve legends of the game to contribute to the happiness of boys and girls around the world. We will introduce them into social corporate responsibility. “
Talking about the future of football, he said “We have increased the number of teams in World Cup from 38 to 42. There is no bigger boost than participation in a big tournament. “
Infantino before concluding revealed that more competitions are in offing next year. ”We will be introducing a new format for youth competitions from next year, and will be developing a Fifa Women’s World League. We will also create a new Club World Cup so all confederations and leagues all over the world develop at the same rate. The most important thing is that we focus on football and protect the game.”
