Children at FIFA Football for Schools launch in Yaoundé, Cameroon, are first to wear apparel produced in West African Cotton-4 plus countries
Delivers on pledge Mr Infantino made in February 2024 within the framework of FIFA’s Memorandum of Understanding with the World Trade Organization
“We wanted to do something real, something concrete, something impactful,” said the FIFA President
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has spoken of his pride and joy at seeing his pledge to use apparel produced in the Cotton-4 plus (C4+) countries of West Africa come to fruition at the launch of the FIFA Football for Schools (F4S) programme in Cameroon.
At the 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in February 2024, the FIFA President had said apparel for FIFA programmes would be sourced from C4+ countries as one of the next key steps within the Memorandum of Understanding he signed with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in September 2022.
Children attending the F4S event in the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, wore T-shirts and polo shirts produced within the C4+ bloc – Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire – to kick off the initial phase of FIFA fulfilling that promise.
“I am delighted that FIFA is officially launching today the initiative to manufacture apparel for students and teachers in the Cotton4+ countries under the FIFA Football for Schools programme,” said Mr Infantino.
“We are proud to be delivering on the commitments made during the last Ministerial Conference, and as FIFA President, I am honoured to support this initiative. Equally, I would like to thank the governments of Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, Doctor Ngozi and all the partners of the Partenariat pour le Coton for their strong team spirit and collective effort in making this initiative a reality.”
A number of local children attended the latest launch event for F4S, which has been established in over 140 FIFA Member Associations (MAs) since its inception in 2019 and teaches children life skills through football as part of their country’s national education system.
The youngsters had the opportunity to exchange with Cameroonian Football Association President and FIFA Legend Samuel Eto’o and other local FIFA Legends such as Roger Milla, Rigobert Song and Alexandre Song, together with FIFA Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer and former Switzerland international Gelson Fernandes.
A vital cash crop for the C4+ countries, cotton produced there is among the most sustainable in the world. However, most is exported as a raw material rather than finished product. FIFA’s use of C4+-produced apparel in its programmes means the field-to-fabric cycle is completed within those countries, helping them gain a greater share of the sport apparel market, whose global revenue is estimated to be USD 270 billion.
Football for Schools launched in Cameroon
“I have always said that we must use football not only to develop the game itself, but also to make a meaningful difference in people’s everyday lives,” Mr Infantino explained.
“When we signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the World Trade Organization in 2022, we wanted to do something real, something concrete, something impactful, and something that would contribute positively to the lives of many people. We wanted to help create jobs and support the empowerment of women, and we believe this project does exactly that.”