November 22 – “So far the course has been running smoothly despite the bombing that occurred last Tuesday,” said FIFA Development Officer Majed Abweh. He is overseeing a FIFA development course in Lebanon that is training grassroots instructors from around the AFC region.
24 coaches, including Iranian female coach Mozafar Shahrzad, are on the instructor course in Beirut. The coaches, who are taking part in a 6-day course, come from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
“The objective of the programme is to promote highly qualified grassroots instructors in Asia with the aim of enlarging the base of talented football players thus making an impact at the future of football in their countries,” said Abweh.
Conducted by FIFA instructors Vincent Subramaniam (Singapore) and Nihad Souqar (Jordan), the course covers practical and theoretical training for grassroots football so that the participants can then return to their own countries to train more coaches.
These courses are part of a global development programme by FIFA who will have implemented 179 grassroots projects around the world in 2013.
Between 1999-2012, FIFA has invested $359,855,011 in development projects in Asia.
The Lebanese Football Association, more notorious recently for its match-fixing scandal, has received funding for two Goal projects in the past, totalling nearly $1m: for artificial turf pitches at the SAFA Stadium (2001) and the Al Ahed Stadium (2011).
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734791931labto1734791931ofdlr1734791931owedi1734791931sni@w1734791931ahsra1734791931w.wer1734791931dna1734791931