Oman Receive $8mn football Grant from FIFA
Oman Football Association (OFA) is on the right path of development having utilised nearly 95 percent of the funds received from the world football governing body, FIFA, under the FIFA Forward programme.
In his exclusive comments to Times of Oman, a FIFA spokesperson said: “The main development investment that FIFA is currently undertaking jointly with Oman Football Association is a technical centre and accommodation infrastructure project. The total project cost was funded by FIFA Forward 1.0 and 2.0, and at this point is more than 95 percent completed.”
“We are satisfied with the progress made by Oman and under the FIFA Forward 3.0, Oman Football Association will receive a total grant of $8 million over a four-year cycle (2023-2026),” said the FIFA official from Lausanne, Switzerland, where the FIFA headquarters are based.
He added: Football in Oman will be eligible to receive 29 percent more funding for development in the next four years through the FIFA Forward 3.0.
From 2019-2022, a total of $6 million was allocated to support Oman football through FIFA Forward 2.0. A top OFA official, on condition of anonymity, confirmed the development and thanked FIFA for their full support. “We hope that the new centre, once completed, will bring in qualitative changes to Oman football. We are now planning further for the growth and development of the game to utilise the new funds in a constructive manner,” he said.
OFA had recently said that the state-of-the-art technical centre and accommodation project for football players at Seeb Stadium are almost ready, with nearly 80 percent of the construction work of the training centre and players’ accommodation complete.
“OFA is confident of completing the project, spread over an area of 4,700 square metres, by the end of the year. The integrated technical centre and accommodation will consist of 55 rooms, halls, swimming pool besides other facilities,” said a senior OFA official.
Elaborating further, the FIFA spokesperson said: “Overall, the 2019-2022 cycle of FIFA Forward 2.0 saw a record investment in football development around the world.”
“In line with its strategy to make football truly global, FIFA had reinvested $5,266 million in football by the end of the 2019-2022 cycle. The total investment for the benefit of FIFA’s member associations, the confederations and zonal/regional associations amounts to $2,250 million for the 2023-2026 cycle.
“The next stage of the programme [FIFA Forward 3.0] represents an almost seven-fold increase in football development investment compared to the development programmes in place prior to 2016 and 29% more than under Forward 2.0. In the latest cycle, each member association will receive approximately US$ 8 million over a four-year period (2023-2026).”
He added: “We have increased the grants but FIFA has introduced enhanced oversight controls to ensure that the investment in football development is transparent, carefully managed and effective.”
The FIFA World Cup 2022 was the most successful ever and thanks to it FIFA was able to invest a record-breaking figure in football development across the world.
The FIFA official said that there has been a “positive impact of FIFA Forward investment into Oman football development during the time of FIFA President Gianni Infantino in office.”
“The idea came up to establish a hotel-like accommodation facility along with a Technical Centre with some sport services attached to save expenses. It is being constructed beside the OFA premises close to Al Seeb Stadium.
“The main objective of the project is to provide accommodation for club and national team players in a cost-effective way and close to playing match venues. Moreover, it will improve the quality of facilities and services to be provided to the stakeholders through the OFA’s direct supervision of the hotel’s services,” added the FIFA official.
The OFA Technical Centre and Accommodation project will be serving several stakeholders such as: all national teams, referees and coaches, clubs and OFA official delegates and guests.
Once completed, the centre will help significant reduction in hotel bills for national teams, transportation costs, meet clubs’ requirements, organising courses and workshops in the premises and avoiding bills while hosting conferences and meetings.
The FIFA official said: “With regards to FIFA Forward 3.0, as the cycle started in January, FIFA is currently working with Oman on planning future objectives and projects.”
The FIFA Forward Programme plays a key role in promoting football development globally, which is one of the central pillars of The Vision 2020-2023, as laid out by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
FIFA’s flagship development programme also helps to increase global competitiveness, another tenet of the aforementioned action plan.
“When we launched the forward development programme, FIFA embarked upon a new era of global football development that is now heading into its third cycle”, said Infantino on the programme. “It is vital that we are now strengthening our commitment to building a stronger foundation for the growth of football.
“The new cycle will provide increased investment, greater impact through the achievement of football development objectives and continued oversight to ensure that all funds are used
responsibly.”
Infantino continued: “We have increased this funding seven-fold but our revenues have not increased seven-fold; just that at the new FIFA since 2016 money goes where it has to go and that is back into football.”
A significant element of the investment will support FIFA’s goal of having 60 million female players participating in football worldwide by the end of the coming cycle.
By: Gurmeet Singh
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