The International Football Association (FIFA) has announced the launch of a “leading talent development program” intending to reduce the gap between the leading soccer nations and the rest of the world.
The French Arsene Wenger, former coach of the Arsenal team, who is now director of global football development in FIFA, launched the program from the Qatari capital, Doha, where he was attending a five-day FIFA workshop and said, “We are launching the International Talent Development Program to ensure that they all have Chance”.
The French considered that “the difference in the level of play between Europe and the rest of the world has become greater (..) in many countries, the Federation’s focus is mainly on the first national team, but this team is always a result of the development of football in all parts of the country.”
He added: “We need more youth competitions to identify talents, provide a path for them and develop training.”
The FIFA program will allow all 211 member associations to “benefit from the International Federation’s assessment of the various areas of their high-performance ecosystem in soccer for men and women, including all national teams, local leagues, academies, and player discovery projects.”
The IFBB said its program will help develop local coaches and technical managers and provide specialized courses for goalkeeper coaches, five-a-side football and beach soccer.
