By Andrew Warshaw
September 26 – You had to feel somewhat sorry for FIFA’s new Secretary General Fatma Samoura when the former United Nations administrator made her first official overseas public address in her new role today.
Despite looking somewhat nervous and occasionally hesitating under questioning from the experienced moderator at the Soccerex sports business summit in Manchester, Samoura did her level best not to be thrown off course in her endeavour to flag up the positive side of the much-maligned organisation she joined three months ago.
But from the moment she stepped on to the podium, it was clear that her prepared speech would be ambushed by legitimate concerns over FIFA’s startling decision to abolish its anti-racism watchdog.
Samoura was quick to try and limit the damage, insisting racism was still being taken “very seriously”.
“Te task force had a very specific mandate that to our knowledge it has fully fulfilled,” Samoura told the convention. “Its recommendations have now been turned into a programme and a strong one.”
The perception will inevitably be that FIFA believes its job is done in that respect but Samoura countered: “We can live with perceptions, but we are taking very seriously our role as the world governing body of football to fight discrimination.”
No-one in the audience had even seen Samoura operating in public but her bullish response provided a telling insight into how she will be her own person, more than capable of standing on her own two feet and certainly not suffering fools gladly.
Reacting to the reputational damage caused to FIFA as a result of the ongoing FIFA scandal, she said: “We have already started to change the business structure of FIFA for the better and have already started working with FIFA affiliates who still believe in the FIFA brand.”
“There have been a lot of surprises for me, good and bad. FIFA is full of incredibly committed and highly educated staff. We need to put the investigations behind us … and put the necessary tools in place to make sure nothing like this happens again and that we do repeat the mistakes of the past.
Samoura, who was with the United Nations for 21 years, also made a point of hitting back at those who claim she has no football background. “Football is a long-standing passion for me and my family. My husband is a former player but I also bring another perspective, one that covers complex and emergency situations.”
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