By Paul Nicholson
February 1 – FIFA presidential candidate Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa has outlined more detail of how he would distribute FIFA’s funds to member federations focused on “need-based support”.
Salman, who views as unrealistic the promises of opposition candidates to “double, quadruple or even quintuple” annual contributions from FIFA, writing in a ‘Caribbean Update’ that was sent to all member associations, says that under his leadership the modus operandi would be to “analyse and assess the real needs in all of the 13 regional sub-federations”.
The clear implication that while money would be distributed it wouldn’t be dropped into countries as lump sums – and where FIFA has come unstuck in the past with accusations of misappropriation of funds.
Salman says that the organisation would rather “receive, review and support tailor-made investment proposals by individual Member Associations” and would “provide meaningful funding for key projects throughout the membership that will directly help increase the attractiveness of football locally and nationally, and allow the member associations to generate additional income.”
As an example of “meaningful assistance” he says building stadia equipped with artificial turf is a practical measure that contributes to sustaining a local football economy.
Looking at the Caribbean region, he says that there is a need that “each MA has at least one to two (larger CFU countries may require 4-5) stadia with seats for 2,500-5,000 spectators (or more, individual countries), equipped with the latest generation of artificial turf and proper lighting, so as to invigorate the local leagues and put football on the front burner of public interest and entertainment”.
Salman says that with the investment would come a blueprint and support on how to use the stadia to become income generators by expanding their use beyond football match days.
“I believe that these and similar proposals that I have already made, and which I herewith renew with my signature, are reasonable, feasible and truly development-minded initiatives that will improve national football even in the smallest of Member Associations.”
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