August 2 – Having been criticised for leaving the hosts of the Women’s World Cup to tour the Pacific Islands, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has detailed his meetings and appointments on his private jet whistle-stop tour, adding a video news release from his last stop in Tonga.
The week-long trip took in Tahiti (pop. 308,872), the Cook Islands (pop.15,040), American Samoa (pop. 43,914), Samoa (pop. 225,000) and Tonga (pop. 107,713), all members of the Oceania Football Confederation which has a chequered recent history following multiple FIFA Ethics investigations over FIFA grant money and presidential impropriety.
Infantino’s visit will have reinforced the message that FIFA is watching where the money it sends the islands as part of their FIFA grants goes – potentially up to $5 million per nation. Similarly the trip will have reinforced Infantino’s political position as FIFA president within a region that has unanimously backed his presidency. Within FIFA the Cook Islands and its 15,040 population has one vote, as does China with its 1.412 billion population.
See Arrest warrants issued for OFC bosses charged with fraud over House of Football site in NZ and links within this story for background
Infantino’s final stop was in Tonga where FIFA development funds are being used to build football infrastructure both on the main island of Tongatapu and in more remote parts of the country.
Accompanied by Tonga Football Association (TFA) President Lord Ve’ehala, the FIFA President met the Prime Minister, the Honourable Hu’akavameiliku, and visited the TFA headquarters.
“I’m very happy to be in Tonga today. It’s great to see the fantastic work, that is done by Lord Ve’ehela and his whole team at the Tonga Football Association, to provide young girls and boys a chance to dream about pursuing our beautiful sport of football,” said Infantino.
“We are here to care about those that nobody really cares about. We are here to be with those who are living in the remotest areas of the world, and about those who never give up and want to live their dreams. We are here to give everyone a chance. We are here for that, and we are proud to be here in Oceania,” he added.
“The whole Pacific is celebrating women, is celebrating the FIFA Women’s World Cup, is celebrating football. We give dreams, we give opportunities, and to see the smiles on the faces of these girls and boys as well; these are the World Cups that Tonga is winning every day and I’m proud to be witnessing that.”
It was Infantino at his obfuscating, non-sequitor best – leaping from helping people in remote communities to celebrating women. But that aside, FIFA’s money is now actually doing real work in the islands.
The Tonga FA headquarters, as one of the most resilient buildings in the country, was used as a refuge for some of the local population after the tsunami which struck Tonga in January 2022.
The TFA is also building a new national stadium which is due for completion next year and is being constructed with natural disaster resilience and recovery, and accessibility, in mind. FIFA funds have also paid for the opening of a technical centre on the island of Vavu’a as part of the country’s plan to grow and develop the game outside the capital Nuku’alofa.
FIFA said future projects include a technical centre in the Ha’apai group of islands and a technical centre on the island of ‘Eua, as well as financing the participation of the men’s and women’s national teams in the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands (pop. 707,851) later this year.
It is an investment story being replicated across the islands who are not known for their football or participation in football. For most the national sport is Rugby and in particular Rugby League. Tonga are ranked in the top five nations in the world and their team is passionately supported. But even so they generally play their home games in New Zealand where they get a bigger crowd.
Who knows, perhaps FIFA’s money will buy all these islands some football interest, perhaps even some players. At least it will give locals some safe shelter from the next tsunami.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1714343450labto1714343450ofdlr1714343450owedi1714343450sni@n1714343450osloh1714343450cin.l1714343450uap1714343450