FIFA President Gianni Infantino meets his Comoros counterpart, Said Ali Said Athouman, to discuss football development in the country

The Comoros national team made their AFCON finals debut this year, and FIFA (www.FIFA.com) is a crucial partner for the Comoros federation. Artificial pitches and the renovation of the training center are among the country’s key projects.

Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, met with Said Ali Said Athouman, the counterpart from the Comoros, to talk about the growth of the sport in that nation, which earlier this year pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the annals of the Africa Nations Cup by making it all the way to the Round of 16.

We spoke about football: football in Comoros and football in Africa,” said Mr Athouman after meeting the FIFA President in Paris. “We spoke about the development of football, about how to mobilise more resources, and, ultimately, what reforms should be set in motion. So, we had a good discussion about a number of topics.”

Mr Athouman, the President of the Comoros Football Federation (FFC), also spoke about some of the work being undertaken by the FFC, much of it in partnership with FIFA.

“We already (have) infrastructure projects that are in the process of being implemented. We have artificial pitches and we are in the process of renovating and setting up a training centre, an academy. So, even in terms of training, there are projects that will be set up,” he said.

“For instance, whether it be infrastructure or training, these are domains in which we regularly receive support from FIFA, but we still have a lot of projects in these areas.”

“I have to mention that most, or the vast majority of our activity, takes place thanks to, and is notably financed by FIFA and the FIFA Forward Programme. So, FIFA is a key partner for us,”

The Coelacanths, the men’s national team of the Comoros, defied expectations by making it all the way to the round of 16 at the 2018 AFCON finals in Cameroon, defeating the defending champions Ghana.