The second FIFA Safeguarding Summit, which brought together approximately 170 participants, including experts from UNICEF, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, focused on the need to strengthen the “duty of care” towards those at risk of being harmed through their football activities. The event, held at the Home of FIFA in Zürich, Switzerland, also provided the opportunity to celebrate the graduation of a new global cohort of 123 safeguarding focal points.

Opening the event, FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasised that the protective framework of the game is fundamental to its success. “Football is only able to play that incredible inclusive role if we ensure that the game, whether it is played in a park, on a beach, a local league, or in the biggest stadiums in the world, is played in a safe environment for everyone,” he stated in a video message.

Mr Infantino reminded the 123 graduates from approximately 100 FIFA Member Associations (MAs) of their vital mission: “You are now officially FIFA Guardians. I am sure you are aware of the great responsibility you now carry as the champions of safeguarding in your communities,” he added.

The centrepiece of the summit was the graduation ceremony for the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Football Diploma, a professional qualification developed in partnership with the Open University. This second cohort completed a demanding 18-month programme that included: five online courses totalling over 70 hours of learning; a series of five webinars and two written assignments and intensive residential workshops held in St George’s Park, England, Rabat, Morocco and Asunción, Paraguay.

Since the programme’s launch in January 2021, its reach has grown exponentially, with almost 50,000 people worldwide registering as open learners for at least one course. To further this global impact, the curriculum has recently been translated into Arabic and Portuguese, adding to the existing English, French and Spanish versions.

Marie-Laure Lemineur, FIFA Head of Safeguarding and Child Protection, noted that the increasing enrolment numbers indicate a growing "buy-in" from the football ecosystem.

“There is an increasing awareness that this is an important topic. We are observing at country level, at the level of confederations, at regional level, sub-regional level, and within FIFA itself,” she said.

“If you want to progress as a professional within football, even if it's not a direct responsibility that you have as a safeguarding focal point, if you’re a coach, if you’re a referee, even if you’re a staff (member) of a federation, it is very important that you are aware of the safeguarding element – the basic notion, which is preventing harm and responding to it – so that you can work effectively with your colleagues across your organisation to be part of creating that culture of safeguarding.”

The summit highlighted that safeguarding extends to every participant in the game, including those often overlooked. Hiroshi Yamauchi, a researcher and instructor from Japan, spoke on the importance of referee safeguarding. “Working with the young referees, they sometimes struggle because they are sometimes abused by the coaches or players or even spectators,” he observed.

Sainey Sissohore M’Boge, a former Gambia international player and safeguarding professional, shared how the programme helps practitioners identify barriers and support the mental health of young athletes. “Safeguarding is something that is within you. The message out there is that everyone is a guardian,” she said.

Graduates also emphasised that the importance of preventive work to ensure that conditions are created which limit the chances of problems arising.

“For me, the biggest part of this programme is the prevention. It’s silent work,” said Marcos Tinoco, General Secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association. “We cannot measure the number of cases or number of people we protect and we help, but prevention is very important.”

The summit also addressed the grave issue of human trafficking. Coach Jimmy Jeoboam, co-founder of the Kampos Saint-Denis Académie, stressed the need for education and training at all levels to fight against the scourge of human-trafficking and exploitation in football.

“Corrupters, dubious agents and presidents, too, who harm our game must be fought. We need help from FIFA, our management executives, in order to fight them, protect children, and develop the game where the children are,” he said.

“It’s not always easy, but football revenue should be used for children’s welfare. In order to use football revenue for children’s welfare, executives, coaches and educators must be trained and given the right conditions because they’re the ones working with children on a daily basis.”

FIFA Council member Johanna Wood, herself a former graduate, assured the new FIFA Guardians of the organisation's lasting support while FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström added in a video message: “The work you are doing helps ensure that football remains a safe place for everyone; you are helping to protect the values of our sport.”