May 29 – Being arguably the most powerful woman in sport and certainly in football has not stopped FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura encountering prejudice.
Samoura, 55, replaced Jerome Valcke in May 2016 after he was found guilty of misconduct and banned from football-related activity for 12 years and says the “glass ceiling has been broken” with her appointment.
Samoura, who previously worked for the UN, says she joined “a male-dominated organisation” who are “used to me now”.
Samoura had little or no football background when she was appointed on the personal recommendation of Gianni Infantino but claims she encountered sexism and racism when she took over the job, with some opposed to a “black woman” taking a senior post at the global governing body.
Speaking to the BBC as part of the 100 Women project, she said: “There are people who don’t think that a black woman should be leading the administration of FIFA. It’s sometimes as simple as that.”
“Nobody asks a man when he takes a position if he’s competent to do the job. They just assume that he can do the job. For a woman to make her way up to the top – you need to prove every single day that you are the best fit for that position.”
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