As football’s world governing body, FIFA commemorates this day and
the power of football to contribute to human development and peace-building. In
his video message, FIFA President Blatter stated that he "firmly believe[s] in
the power of football to inspire people, build bridges and change lives. Our sport
has a truly global reach and offers unparalleled opportunities to communicate
with people from all nations and backgrounds across the world, and demonstrates
that even in the most difficult settings, such as Afghanistan or Somalia,
football can bring hope.”
This year, FIFA announced that its direct financial support
through numerous football development programmes has reached the milestone USD
1 billion mark. Since the inception of these programmes, FIFA’s 209 member
associations and six confederations have received a total of USD 778 million
and USD 331 million respectively. The funds have mainly been used for
infrastructure projects, planning and administration, technical development,
men’s and women’s domestic competitions and youth football.
In a joint initiative with the Nobel Peace Centre, FIFA launched
the "Handshake for Peace”, requiring sporting opponents to shake hands in the
name of peace after the match, no matter the outcome. The campaign will be
implemented during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and aims to link the
universality and power of football with a simple gesture that is intended to
provide a strong sense of goodwill, respect and peace across society as a
whole.
FIFA President Blatter concluded by expressing FIFA’s ongoing
commitment to contributing to the ideals of development and peace in pursuit of
its mission of developing football everywhere, touching the world through its
inspiring tournaments, and building a better future for all.
Source FIFA.com
Or click on this link http://m.fifa.com/aboutfifa/news/newsid=2314269.html
Somali Football Federation Media Department
Email:somalifootballmedia@gmail.com