By Andrew Warshaw
July 29 – FIFA’s new Senegalese secretary-general Fatma Samoura, whose appointment raised a number of eyebrows as she had no prior experience in football, believes the time she spent working in war zones for the United Nations has more than prepared her for the challenges that lie ahead.
“I’ve covered almost all the emergency situations in the world, including Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Kosovo and Nigeria,” Samoura, who spent 21 years at the United Nations Development Programme, told the BBC. “I think my last 20 years have prepared me for this complex situation.”
Samoura is the first woman to hold the position of secretary-general at FIFA having replaced Jerome Valcke after the Frenchman was banned for breaching FIFA’s ethics code.
“I’m aware of the challenges that I will be facing in this very moment within FIFA and we have already started this administration under of the leadership of the president of FIFA and put in place massive reforms,” said Samoura who insists her lack of footballing pedigree will not adversely affect her new role.
“My background equips me to inject more diversity to make FIFA a more sustainable institution. I’m married to a former football player for 28 years who’s also being a good advisor to me on a daily basis – but more importantly I have many, many friends among football players.
“[Cameroon legend] Roger Milla, who I met a few years back in Cameroon, we are in regular touch – and we have many other football players, especially the legends, who are in daily contact with me.
“More importantly, I have a deputy secretary-general – midfielder Zvonimir Boban – who played in the great days of AC Milan.”
In an interview with FIFA’s in-house magazine, Samoura beat the drum for restoring trust in the organisation despite the ongoing corruption scandal and nagging concerns about her and Infantino’s own conduct. First among these requirements, she said, was bringing key sponsors back on board after powerful corporates like Visa and Coca Cola called for sweeping reform.
“The reputational damage that all the financial scandals have caused to FIFA needs to be repaired,” said Samoura who has been tasked with the day to day running of the reform process. “I need to restore the trust and confidence of our partners and our commercial affiliates.”
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