\u201cIt\u2019s the fulfilment of a dream because we\u2019ve put a lot of work in, especially on the stadium in Santa Cruz,\u201d said FCF President Mario Semedo. \u201cFIFA is our main football development partner in Cabo Verde. We couldn\u2019t have got where we are without them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFIFA Forward is a unique development programme launched by FIFA in 2016,\u201d said Kenny Jean-Marie, FIFA Director of Member Associations Services. \u201cIt allows us to forge close ties with federations. It\u2019s not just a question of sending money and hoping football will develop itself. We are talking the whole time and exchanging ideas, just as we\u2019ve done here, in Cabo Verde. We\u2019ve identified a number of priorities with the board and FCF President Mario Semedo with a view to creating a strategy and launching projects.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discussing one of the new artificial pitches made possible by the FIFA Forward Programme, Jean-Marie said: \u201cThe project is designed to benefit everyone who lives in the northern region around Santa Cruz. The pitches will help the sub-regional leagues and all the teams in the region can play their matches here, on a high-quality FIFA-approved pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gelson the trailblazer<\/p>\n
More artificial pitches will be installed in the future and FIFA will continue to support Cabo Verde with the project while overseeing the proper maintenance of existing structures to ensure lasting development. \u201cNow we have the locations we can play on them,\u201d said the Frenchman. \u201cWe can start competitions now and youngsters can have fun and develop their footballing skills on these pitches and then aim to follow in the footsteps of the illustrious players who\u2019ve gone before them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those illustrious players include Gelson Fernandes, who is something of a role model in Cabo Verdean football. Born in the country\u2019s capital, Praia, he began learning his trade in Santa Cruz before moving to Europe with his family in search of a better life. He went on to win 67 caps for Switzerland and is now FIFA Director of Member Associations Africa. \u201cThough I was fortunate enough to be able to move abroad, I\u2019m still very attached to this country,\u201d said the former Manchester City midfielder. \u201cThese islands represent a large part of who I am.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese facilities are very important because they\u2019ll give people the chance to play football,\u201d continued Gelson, who appeared at three FIFA World Cup\u2122 competitions with Die Nati. \u201cWhen I see these children playing I can see myself in them. I see people who love the game and who are passionate about it, both girls and boys. It\u2019s up to us to give them every chance to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giving a message to any youngster dreaming of having a successful career like his, he said: \u201cBelieve in yourself. Believe that it\u2019s possible and that you can do it. Football is more than a sport. It has values that you can apply in life, like respect, fair play, dedication, passion and commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n
As appealing as it may be for youngsters to enjoy the success Gelson had abroad, one of FIFA\u2019s key objectives is to allow African countries to develop and hold on to their talented players, as FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura, who also made the trip, explained.<\/p>\n
Building up the talent pool<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know just how much passion there is for football in Africa,\u201d said Samoura. \u201cNo matter which country you visit, you can\u2019t go from the airport to your hotel without seeing young girls and boys playing in the street. So as far as we\u2019re concerned, it\u2019s much more than a continent that\u2019s good at providing talent for other confederations. We have seen so many great players come out of Africa and excel at the biggest clubs in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is what gives meaning to the work being undertaken in Cabo Verde, where these new facilities are paving the way to a brighter future and a stronger game across Africa as a whole. FIFA\u2019s ambitious development project for the continent continues apace, in line with FIFA President Gianni Infantino\u2019s objective to make football a truly global game<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A FIFA delegation completed a four-day visit of Cabo Verde on Thursday 28 July, during which it unveiled facilities such as new artificial pitches and the refurbished academy and headquarters of the Cabo Verdean Football Association (FCF), all funded by the FIFA Forward Programme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":13254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,4],"tags":[7,14,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-13257","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-sports","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n