FIFA President Gianni Infantino has welcomed attendees of the FIFA Master 25 Years: Sport & Future Conference to the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the FIFA Master. Jointly organised by FIFA and CIES (International Centre for Sports Studies), in partnership with three universities – De Montfort University in Leicester, United Kingdom; SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy; and the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland – the FIFA Master has become the benchmark in sports management education, winning the Sports Business Award for Europe’s outstanding programme in its field for the 12th time last year. Students graduate after completing four modules in humanities, management, law and a final project on the 12-month course that Mr Infantino, who attended the graduation ceremony of the 25th edition as patron in July, said moulds the top sports managers of the future.

“It's important because it's important that sport in general and football in particular has the right leaders for the future, to shape the next 25 years of the Master, the next 30 years of the CIES, the next 121 years of FIFA,” said the FIFA President. “You'll all always cherish the values of sport, that you always protect the sport, that you always remember what sport and football really is about. And it is about bringing people together, it is about uniting and that's why I'm also happy and proud to see you all together. “And this is what you learn in this great FIFA Master in the three universities. You learn everything you have to learn in terms of the working, the professional skills you need to have, the background that makes you what you are. But then there is something here in the heart and that's the love, the passion, the commitment, the values, the unity, and this you learn it in the classroom, but more importantly around and outside of it with your friends and with your colleagues. This is what you learn when you are part of a sports team, and this is what you learn when you are part of a Master.”

Mr Infantino recounted how he – as CIES General Secretary – had taken part in the initial discussions that led the foundation of the programme in 2000. He also highlighted the fact that with over 700 alumni representing more than 120 nationalities, 90% of whom are working in the sports industry, the FIFA Master is making a tangible difference around the world. “It is what we, what you, make out of it and this is actually the greatest of all prides to see how something, which starts from a small idea, then becomes something that has a real impact on the lives of people. Because what is great with what we do in our jobs in sport – whatever the job is – is that you have an impact, on children, on girls, on boys, on women, on men, on what they become and what they do,” he told the audience, which included a number of FIFA Master alumni. “And the better you are prepared, the more impact you can have, and collectively, all of you, all of us together, have been able to create something which is extremely impactful for the world.”

The day comprised several panel discussions covering sport and education, the evolution of women’s football, the Middle East’s sporting future and the economy of football, as well as a look ahead to the FIFA World Cup 26™. Various experts from FIFA, including FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Dame Sarai Bareman, other organisations, such as the CIES, UEFA, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, and the universities involved in the FIFA Master project all gave their insight.

“I cannot thank FIFA and President Infantino enough for the incredible support we enjoy. Without FIFA, there would be no CIES; there would be no FIFA Master. It’s fantastic for us to have FIFA on board with us in this adventure,” said CIES Foundation Council President, Pierre Cornu, who also paid tribute to an outgoing key member of the project, Professor Denis Oswald. “As the President of the FIFA Master Scientific Committee for 25 years, he designed and developed the programme together with the partners to make this programme what it is now. His exceptional knowledge in all fields of sport, his high-level contacts in all kinds of world sports organisations, and his commitment to the CIES in general and the FIFA Master programme in particular have allowed this programme to grow and prosper. Today will be his last day as the President of the Scientific Committee and he deserves our unlimited gratitude for everything he has done for the benefit of the programme and the students.” Half of the FIFA Master alumni hold positions in football with some 75 currently working with FIFA. Pedro Trengrouse, President of the FIFA Masters Alumni Association, noted that FIFA Master graduates, such as President of the Japanese Football Association Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, and the new Pakistan Football Federation President, Syed Mohsen Gilani, can help to shape the face of football globally. “We are ready to be mobilised collectively to serve sports and society, and FIFA can count on us for that, even for impossible missions,” he said. “If they have these offices all around the world, the FIFA Master Alumni is a network of agents of change positioned in strategic places all around the world ready to be activated. We will heed the call if FIFA counts on us for anything. This 25th anniversary is a moment to celebrate, but also to look forward and to take responsibility for the next 25 years.”