Senegal’s Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura has been appointed as Fifa’s first female secretary general.
She succeeds former secretary general Jerome Valcke, who was banned from football-related activity for 12 years.
Samoura, 54, spent 21 years working for the United Nations and will start at football’s governing body in June.
“It is
essential Fifa incorporates fresh perspectives as we continue to restore
and rebuild our organisation,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
“She
has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way
organisations perform. Importantly for Fifa, she also understands that
transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and
responsible organisation.”
Samoura’s
appointment, announced at Fifa’s congress in Mexico City, completes a
new-look to an organisation which has been dogged by corruption
allegations under Valcke and previous president Sepp Blatter.
Blatter,
who had led Fifa since 1998, stood down last year and was later
suspended from football for six years for breaching ethics guidelines.
On his
appointment in February, Infantino said he would “work tirelessly to
bring football back to Fifa and Fifa back to football”.
Samoura,
who will undergo an eligibility check before her role is ratified,
currently works for the UN in Nigeria, and speaks four languages.
She
started her UN career as a senior logistics officer with the World Food
Programme in Rome in 1995 and has since served as country representative
or director in six African countries, including Nigeria.
She said “Today is a wonderful day for me, and I am honoured to take on this role,This
role is a perfect fit for my skills and experience – strategic,
high-impact team building in international settings – which I will use
to help grow the game of football all over the world.
I also
look forward to bringing my experience in governance and compliance to
bear on the important reform work that is already underway at Fifa.
“Fifa
is taking a fresh approach to its work – and I am eager to play a role
in making that approach as effective and lasting as possible.”
Source: BBC