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The FIFA Foundation Board has appointed former Argentinian president Mauricio Macri as its Executive Chairman.
Macri has an extensive track record as a leader at the highest echelon in both politics and football. He served as the President of the Republic of Argentina from 2015 to 2019, having previously spent 12 years as President of Boca Juniors from 1995 to 2007 and overseen the most glittering period in the club’s history, which yielded 17 trophies, 11 of them international. He also spearheaded Buenos Aires’s successful bid to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in his capacity as the erstwhile head of the city council.
The FIFA Foundation was established in 2018 as an independent organisation – supported by FIFA – whose mission revolves around helping to promote positive social change. It has a FIFA World Cup-winning Chief Executive Officer in Youri Djorkaeff and its primary focus area is education, as exemplified by the Football for Schools Programme, launched in 2019, to which FIFA has already allocated a budget of USD 100 million. Pursuant to this, FIFA intends to team up with partners hailing from all over the world and from a range of sectors to raise USD 1 billion to invest in educational programmes.
“It is a great pleasure and honour to announce that Mauricio Macri will be taking up this post at the helm of the FIFA Foundation,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who is also the President of the FIFA Foundation Board. “Mauricio is the perfect fit to lead this project, which aims to harness football to benefit society. Through his experience as the leader of a major nation, he knows all about the central role that education will play in the future of our societies, and having presided over one of the world’s most successful football clubs, he is well aware of the unique power of our sport and the unrivalled passion that it inspires. His experience and vision will undoubtedly enable our foundation to step up its efforts and widen its scope of action in order to foster social improvements all over the world.”
“I am extremely honoured and excited to have been appointed as the Executive Chairman of the FIFA Foundation. I am grateful to President Infantino for putting his trust in me and giving me the opportunity to combine my three passions: education, football and working to forge a brighter future for young people,” said Macri.
“As I stated during my presidency of the G20, education is a tool that can level the playing field in terms of opportunities, and it can, hand in hand with football, help to build bridges and contribute to global progress.”
“Football has the advantage of being able to reach millions of children and to teach them values and tools that stand them in good stead throughout their lives, including in their careers, such as the importance of teamwork, commitment and respect for others. Furthermore, through football, it is possible to address complex issues, such as violence, drug abuse and obesity.”
“My appointment is also testament to everything that Argentina has given – and continues to give – to this sport: one-of-a-kind legends, indelible moments in footballing history and a fan base that makes its voice heard the world over,” he added.
