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Burundi became the latest country to implement FIFA’s Football for Schools initiative on Saturday during a ceremony at the Urunani Stadium in Buganda, outside of Bujumbura.
“You are the 100th country in which we set up this wonderful Football for Schools project,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the inauguration event.
By combining football activities within the educational system, the project hopes to make the game more accessible to young people.
It is supported by UNESCO and helps to educate, develop, and empower over 700 million children globally.
A landmark moment for FIFA Football for Schools ⚽️
It was a special occasion at the Urunani Stadium in Burundi 🇧🇮 this weekend, as they became the 100th country to implement the programme!
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) October 22, 2023
The ceremony was attended by Gervais Abayeho, Burundi’s Minister of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Sports, and Culture, and Alexandre Muyenge, President of the Burundi Football Federation.
“Thanks to this wonderful Football for Schools project, FIFA and Burundi are uniting the world with a football project, with an education project, a project that gives chances and opportunities to the boys and girls of this wonderful country,” said Infantino.
“Education means giving the youth a chance to play football, and FIFA has invested a lot, especially in Africa. It’s a continent that means a lot to us, we have many educational projects in Africa,” said FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger.
“Good luck to all the kids. It’s a huge project to give all of the youth a chance to play football. Hopefully there will be many great players soon here in Burundi.”
Since its first launch in Puerto Rico in 2019, around 1.5 million footballs have been distributed, and the Football for Schools app is used by over 23 million pupils.
