The Africa Office of the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was inaugurated on Saturday at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Sal\u00e9, during a ceremony presided over by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The event was held in the presence of the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, and several other prominent figures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a historic moment and a day of celebration and joy that will be inscribed in golden letters in the history of FIFA and football in Africa, in Morocco, and across the world,\u201d said Mr. Infantino during his speech on the occasion. He emphasized that \u201cthe inauguration of the FIFA Africa Office is timely, especially as it coincides with the celebrations of the glorious Throne Day,\u201d adding that the Mohammed VI Football Complex is \u201can incredible and magnificent facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the momentum he has given to the development of sport across the continent,\u201d he continued, noting that the Royal momentum to develop football is \u201cunique.\u201d Mr. Infantino also stated that the Mohammed VI Football Complex, which now hosts the FIFA Africa Office, has become a vital hub for African football and a testament to a country and a continent oriented toward the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not merely a FIFA Africa Office we are inaugurating today.<\/p>\n
It is rather a global FIFA center, as it will have a worldwide impact on the practice of football,\u201d he asserted. The FIFA President also recalled that Morocco will be hosting several major sporting events, including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for men, the next five editions of the U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup, and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted with Spain and Portugal. \u201cThe world will unite here in Morocco,\u201d he proudly stated.<\/p>\n
He also underlined that the final of the Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations between Morocco and Nigeria, taking place this Saturday evening in Rabat, will be \u201ca grand and beautiful celebration\u201d of women\u2019s football in Morocco and Africa, highlighting the Moroccan public\u2019s unparalleled passion for football.<\/p>\n
For his part, Mr. Motsepe welcomed the inauguration of the FIFA Africa Office in Morocco, stating that \u201cno better place could have been chosen for this office.\u201d In this regard, he thanked His Majesty King Mohammed VI for His continuous efforts in favor of football on the continent, noting that African football is of global standard. After praising the performance of African teams at the last World Cup in Qatar\u2014particularly the Moroccan national team, which reached the semi-finals\u2014the CAF President expressed his conviction that African football is destined to reign over the global scene in the years to come.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mr. Lekjaa emphasized that the Mohammed VI Football Complex, which hosts the FIFA Africa Office, was made possible thanks to the farsighted Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, explaining that it is the result of a strategy aimed at the development and flourishing of Moroccan and African youth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Vision aims to make Morocco a land of hospitality and a meeting point for talents from all over the world,\u201d he said. According to Mr. Lekjaa, this Office reflects FIFA\u2019s commitment to African football and the development of all its categories, recalling that Morocco has always been\u2014and will remain\u2014a country of tolerance and intercultural dialogue.<\/p>\n
The headquarters agreement for the establishment of the FIFA Africa Office in Morocco was signed last December in Marrakech, on the sidelines of the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony, by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Africa Office of the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was inaugurated on…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-football"],"yoast_head":"\n