FIFA launches inaugural World Football Week
Zurich (Switzerland), Apr 25 (UNI) FIFA has launched World Football Week from May 21-25, an inaugural week of festivities to celebrate football's unique ability to connect people across places, cultures and languages.
Under the theme 'Together, We Are Stronger,' individuals, teams, and organisations around the
world are invited to play, watch, and celebrate football, highlighting the strength which exists in
unity.
On May 23, 2024, FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed to extend the existing UN World Football Day (May 25) celebrations for five days annually, in the form of World Football Week.
Beginning on May 21, the day on which FIFA was founded in 1904, World Football Week extends until UN World Football Day, on May 25. The 25th of May was also the day on which the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris kicked off - the first to be organised by FIFA - paving the way for the
first FIFA World Cup, six years later.
Calling on the United Nations General Assembly ahead of last year's World Football Day, the FIFA President was met with the eager support of Dennis Francis, the then-President of the UN General Assembly at its 78th Session, and the Group of Friends of Football, to give people around the world
a longer opportunity to unite through football and experience the joy and peace the sport can bring.
'World Football Week is more than just a celebration of the game we love; it's a celebration of unity. Under the theme 'Together, We Are Stronger', World Football Week will be an opportunity to honour football's immense power to bring people together and is also a show of the strength that our football community has when united,' the FIFA President said. 'No matter how you enjoy the sport, whether playing with friends or cheering on a team, you are part of football, which truly unites the world."
'I would like to thank the Group of Friends of Football and the UN General Assembly for their support in helping us to extend the festivities beyond the UN World Football Day on 25 May. I look forward to seeing the world come together during this important week of joy and happiness,' he said.
Mattias Grafstrom, FIFA Secretary General, said: 'World Football Week is a special opportunity for communities to come together and enjoy football. We thank the FIFA Member Associations, and everyone involved for their creativity and commitment in organising and delivering events, giving people around the world the chance to share in the joy football brings.'
World Football Week will run from May 21, FIFA's 121st anniversary, to May 25 and will be given a platform when all 211 FIFA Member Associations congregate at the 75th FIFA Congress in Paraguay on May 15, during the Delegates' Football Tournament. FIFA has assembled a digital toolkit for MAs, clubs, sports centres and community groups at all levels, with guidance on how to successfully deliver local events.
The toolkit provides a variety of ideas for bringing people together to play and watch football, and ways to engage individuals of all ages and abilities. It includes useful branding materials, such as posters, and social media templates to help raise awareness.
UNI BM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Referees to wear cameras at Club World Cup in US, but FIFA to hide controversies
FIFA will introduce eye-level cameras for referees at the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup , which kicks off in Miami on Saturday, designed to give fans a unique perspective by showing exactly what officials see during the match. However, the technology seems geared more towards enhancing the viewing experience for television audiences than improving the game itself. FIFA has stated that only 'non-controversial' footage from the referee cameras will be shown during broadcasts. While the exact definition of 'non-controversial' hasn't been clarified, it's clear that critical moments — such as goal-scoring incidents or potential red cards — are unlikely to be included, raising concerns about transparency and selective presentation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Indonesia (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo While the use of referee cams is being hailed as a step towards transparency and innovation, critics argue that withholding controversial clips undermines the very purpose of the technology and raises questions about accountability in high-stakes matches. 'It is a trial,' Pierluigi Collina , veteran official and chairman of the FIFA referees committee , said on Wednesday. "What will be the future? We will see. Live Events 'We have said that we want to, let's say, offer a new experience to TV viewers. We want to show something, let's say, entertaining. I don't think that we always need to think of the controversial or potentially controversial incidents on the field of play.' The footage from the referee's eye-level cameras will be reviewed before being broadcast, and they will be deferred live. Another innovation set for the Club World Cup — a month-long tournament in the United States featuring 32 of the world's top clubs — is the live display of VAR review footage on big screens inside the stadium for the first time. This move aims to increase transparency for fans in attendance, allowing them to see exactly what officials are reviewing during critical moments of the match.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Five Of The Stars Missing At The Club World Cup
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed FIFA's inaugural expanded Club World Cup offers $1 billion as prize money but big names are still missing. Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and others miss out as Liverpool did not qualify for the tournament. Barcelona's Yamal, a standout player this season, will also be absent due to his team's non-participation. FIFA's inaugural expanded Club World Cup in the United States has one billion dollars of prize money on the line but will be missing some of the game's star names. AFP Sport highlights five players who will not be lighting up stadiums across the United States once it gets underway this weekend: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) Liverpool finished as English champions, but like Spain's Barcelona and Italy's Napoli, will not be at the Club World Cup, because of the convoluted qualification process. That means Egyptian winger Salah, who broke the Premier League record for goal involvements, with 29 strikes and 18 assists, misses out. After a tiring season in which he faded in the latter months Salah might not be too upset about having a summer off. The winger posted a photo of himself sunbathing by the beach on Instagram. However it will be a shame that African football icon Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and others miss out on the chance of a potential rematch against their Champions League conquerors Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool transfer target Florian Wirtz will also be absent, as his side Bayer Leverkusen did not qualify. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) No player in world football this season has offered more excitement than Barcelona's 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal. The Spain winger has been in sensational form for his club this season and is one of the candidates to win the Ballon d'Or. Yamal's thrilling dribbling and penchant for the spectacular make him one of the biggest draws in world football at the moment. He is often compared to former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, but because of the Spanish champions' absence, may have missed out on his only chance to face the Argentina star, who will be there with Inter Miami. Barcelona's Raphinha, midfield maestro Pedri and veteran striker Robert Lewandowski are others who will be missed. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) Messi will also not go up against his long-time rival Ronaldo in the US. The Portuguese striker, 40, was reported to be looking for a way to play in the tournament. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had suggested Ronaldo might move from Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr to a team who had reached the event, saying that "discussions" were being held over it. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who won the Nations League with Portugal last weekend, indicated after the game however he was set to stay at Al Nassr. "Some teams reached out to me," the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star revealed last Saturday on the eve of the Nations League final. "Some made sense and others did not, but you can't try and do everything. You can't catch every ball." Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal are another team to miss out and after finishing the season trophyless, the Club World Cup would have been a chance to win some silverware. England international Saka's only club trophy, excluding the FA Community Shield, was an FA Cup win with Arsenal in 2020. Mikel Arteta's side showed this season they have improved to the point where they are in contention for major honours, including knocking out Real Madrid in the Champions League, but came up just short. For a player of his quality, who has spent six seasons playing regularly at the top level, Saka could do with expanding his medal collection. Arsenal will be disappointed to miss out on the prize money too, as they try to overhaul Liverpool and Manchester City, who have dominated the English game in recent seasons. Neymar (Santos) Brazilian icon Neymar struggled with injury at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and returned to Santos in January 2025, hoping to get fit and firing ahead of next summer's World Cup. The 33-year-old forward, despite fading with age, is still one of the biggest names in the game and his absence is also a blow in a commercial sense. "Neymar, what can I say about him? He's an outstanding player, who, for me, in my football cycle, is in the top three, with Cristiano and Messi," said Brazil midfielder Casemiro. With organisers struggling to sell tickets, Neymar's presence would have been a boon.
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- The Hindu
Dressing room seems like a funeral, but we can still qualify: Marquez after Hong Kong defeat
"The dressing room is like a funeral (site)," said Indian football head coach Manolo Marquez as he struggled to explain the 0-1 loss to Hong Kong here even though he remained optimistic about the team's chances of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. India conceded in the fifth minute of stoppage time on Tuesday, slumping to a second straight goalless outing in Asian Cup qualifiers, jeopardising their chances of qualifying for the Asian Cup. '...we are not very happy. We are sad. The dressing room is like a funeral, practically,' Marquez said when a question on the future of the team came up, insisting that it was not the time to dwell on that aspect. '...But I still think that India has possibilities to qualify,' he declared nonetheless in the post-match press conference. Ranked 26 places above their opponents in the FIFA charts, the Indians were undone by poor finishing and lack of composure in key moments. India should have taken the lead in the 35th minute when Ashique Kuruniyan misjudged the delivery and fluffed a golden chance from close range. 'The game is easy to speak. Two teams fighting and that's all. Without too many chances. I think both teams defended both with order and one action. This is football,' he said, trying hard to find the right words to explain the performance. India now have just one point from two matches in Group C. With only the group winners advancing to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, the task ahead would be arduous. '...we are not in a good moment. In terms of scores, it's difficult for us to score. But it's true that the team played with more order than in other games. This is true. But, unfortunately, we couldn't get any points here.' Marquez also lamented his side's inability to settle for a point. 'I repeat again, it's for me a very equal game and unfortunately for us, practically in the last action, we lost at least one point and Hong Kong have three points. I told in the dressing room, obviously we want to win. 'But sometimes the team doesn't know how to draw. And today, if you couldn't win the game before the minute 90-91, at least try to be in a position to avoid the defeat. But I feel that India is still in the fight.' Asked how India can fix their scoring woes, the coach responded with an honest reflection. 'Sometimes you never know. One day, this is not a problem of the national team, it's in clubs also. Sometimes there are four, five, six games that you don't score and suddenly you score three-four goals...' However, he steered clear of criticising individual players but conceded that at times, nerves are getting the better of them. 'I cannot say nothing negative about the players. I think that the effort was there, the attitude was there, the plan of the game was there. In some moments, I feel that we can play better with the ball and be more brave,' he said. 'But this is about the situation that the team is not winning and the players are a little nervous. In some actions that the pass is clear, we are a little nervous,' he admitted. Since taking over from Igor Stimac last year, Marquez has overseen eight matches with only one win — a 3-0 friendly victory over Maldives. India have drawn four and lost three, including both critical Asian Cup qualifiers. The team has scored just five times while conceding nine, failing to find the net in their last three outings.
